Parallel Lives
by Claudette
Summary: Jeff Tracy is concerned when Scott shows unusual behaviour after returning from a rescue. Complete
1. Episode One The First Glimpse

Parallel Lives  
  
Episode One: - The first glimpse.  
  
Scott Tracy sighed heavily as he dragged his thoughts back to his present position. Come on boy, he thought to himself, concentrate. The past is the past and no amount of imagining or wishful thinking is going to change it. Now get on and get back to real life. Wearily he flipped the communication switch on his control panel.  
  
"Thunderbird 1 to International Rescue Base, am approaching base, request permission to land"  
  
His video panel came to life revealing the features of a man who, but for the greying hair and more care worn and lined face, could almost have been his twin.  
  
"Base to Thunderbird 1. You're clear to land Scott"  
  
"F.A.B." Closing the channel Scott relaxed back against his seat. His father had not seemed to notice anything was wrong in that short communication. Now all he had to do was convince him when he met him face to face then he could put this behind him and get back to normal life - whatever that was.  
  
Scott carefully landed Thunderbird 1 safely back into its launching position underneath the swimming pool. As the machine was moving back up to its hanger, ready for the next rescue, Scott started the post-flight tests and then changed back into his off-duty clothes. Once the machine had come to rest and the tests had been completed Scott took the moving walkway back to the hanger wall where two light shades were mounted at head height. As he stood with his back to the wall and reached up to grab the light shades his gaze fell on the sleek shape of the silver blue rescue craft. His eyes travelled down the length of the ship until it disappeared into the darkness of the hanger floor far beneath him. Admiring the aerodynamic lines and design and recalling the months spent over its construction he realized that his thoughts were again drifting into regret and lost opportunities. Shaking himself he operated the hidden button on the light shades and the section of wall against which he was standing turned smoothly to reveal the comfortable lounge of his family's home.  
  
Jeff Tracy looked up from behind his desk as the figure of his eldest son appeared from the hidden hanger entrance.  
  
"Welcome home son. I've just heard from Virgil and Gordon. They're about an hour behind you as it took them a while to pack up all the equipment once you had left."  
  
The unasked question hung between them as Scott briefly considered his reply.  
  
"Yeah. I had Mobile Control all packed up while they were still being patted on the back by the miners they pulled out of that shaft. I reckoned a rapid return to a bit of hum-drum packing and locking down of equipment should help make sure those kids can get their heads back inside Thunderbird so I left them to it." Scott flashed a weak grin towards his father and hoped that the pause before his reply had not been too noticeable.  
  
Jeff studied his son, noticing the obvious discomfort in his stance and his reluctance to meet his father's gaze. It was not like Scott to not answer him completely and he wondered at this unusual behaviour in his son. No, he thought, not now. Get some more information then tackle him.  
  
"I guess it sure wouldn't do to have two fifths of our main force unable to use the crafts designed for them would it?" he smiled back at Scott. "Go get cleaned up son. Grandma is preparing a meal for you all, it'll just about be ready by the time your brothers get back."  
  
"Sure thing Dad." With a shrug of relief Scott turned and headed for his room to get a hot shower, glad that the face to face seemed to have gone well.  
  
From his desk Jeff Tracy thoughtfully watched him go.  
  
An hour and a half later Jeff sat at the dinner table with most of his family. He watched his dark haired son poke and prod the food on his plate, eating a small amount every few minutes. Scott was staring at his plate and it was clear from his expression that his mind was elsewhere. He paid no attention as Virgil and Gordon recounted the details of the rescue to the other members of the household.  
  
"So if everything went so smoothly how come you and Gordon were so late back?" asked Alan. "Scott was here a good hour before you. Don't tell me that great green bug of yours is losing speed Virgil"  
  
"Whadya mean losing speed?" growled his older brother "There's nothing wrong with Thunderbird 2. There was only me and Gordon to do the locking down once the rescue had finished so it took a little longer than usual, that's all"  
  
His glance down the table towards Scott was puzzled and a little concerned, rather than accusatory. After a number of attempts by The Hood to steal the secrets of International Rescue, not to mention his attempts to threaten, kidnap and even kill some of the Tracy family in earlier encounters, it had become a matter of routine for the brothers to help each other to re-load all of the used equipment after a rescue. Only once this was done and the site was secure would all of the Thunderbird craft leave together, ensuring that no brother was left alone and vulnerable to further attacks. Scott was fiercely protective of all of his family and for him to take Thunderbird 1 home when his brothers were still on the ground was totally out of character and very unsettling to Virgil.  
  
"Yeah" grinned Gordon, seeing an opportunity to use the information he had gained just before leaving the rescue site to goad his oldest brother. "Scott had already high-tailed it back here - fighting shy of a pretty girl by all accounts. You know, I never thought I'd ever see the day when my big brother was frightened by a girl"  
  
"What?" exclaimed Jeff, Virgil and Alan together, staring at Scott in disbelief.  
  
"Hey Scott" called Gordon, to get his brothers attention, "that's right isn't it - you were frightened off by a pretty girl? I hear you were pretty tongue tied when she spoke to you."  
  
Scott looked up suddenly as the use of his name caught his attention and pulled his thoughts back to the table. He looked around, realising that all of his family were staring at him and he had obviously missed something.  
  
"Uh..what? Sorry fellas, I was miles away. What was that?"  
  
"I'll say you were miles away Scott" grinned Gordon "I'd say you were back at that mine in Vermont, looking at a pretty red-head"  
  
Scott paled suddenly and caught his breath  
  
"What in the heck do you mean Gordon?"  
  
"Well I heard that while me and Virgil were down in the Mole getting those miners free, you were getting on great guns with by one of the females in that state rescue squad. I got it you were making enquiries about her just before you left. She must be really something to distract you from a rescue"  
  
Gordon seemed oblivious to the change in Scott's expression as he talked. After the initial paling Scott's face darkened like a thunderstorm. His eyebrows knitted together and his eyes flashed with anger.  
  
"You don't know what you're talking about Gordon" Scott's voice was tight and low "now give it a break"  
  
"Sure you do Scott" continued Gordon, enjoying his brothers discomfort, "you were trying to find out her name and.."  
  
Whatever else Gordon was about to say was lost in the growl of anger that came from Scott as he pushed his chair away from the table and stood up.  
  
"I said drop it boy, now!"  
  
The family sat in silent amazement at the rage showing on Scott's face. Never before had they seen him act in this way and they were totally nonplussed.  
  
"I'm going out." Scott headed towards the door, throwing his napkin onto the table as he went.  
  
"But Scott" pleaded Grandma, "you've hardly touched your food"  
  
"I'm not hungry Grandma"  
  
The words floated back over his shoulder as Scott disappeared through the doorway. The rest of his family sat around the table and looked at each other, lost for words.  
  
The sky above the tropical island base of International Rescue was bright with stars and the windows of the luxurious family home were dark when a tall, dark-haired figure finally crossed the patio and mounted the stairs leading to the lounge. The night was warm and balmy and the breeze gently ruffled his hair and lifted it back from his forehead.  
  
Scott was tired. Not physically tired - the rescue earlier that day had been straight forward and not strenuous for him and although he had walked several miles across the island after leaving the dinner table so abruptly he was young and fit and hardly noticed the distance he covered. No, he was emotionally tired - drained and depressed. Ever since that moment in the rescue when he thought he had been transported back through time he had been struggling to deal with feelings that he thought he had got past several years before. Despite his best intentions on his journey home to put the past behind him and act as if nothing had happened in Vermont, he knew that he had lost it in front of his family and he just didn't know how he was going to handle things from here.  
  
As he reached the top step he turned and leaned on the balustrade, turning his red-rimmed eyes down onto the patio and the quiet swimming pool. The water reflected the moon and starlight glinting down from the sky and had a calming effect on his troubled mind. So engrossed was he in his thoughts that he did not notice the soft fall of footsteps approaching him from behind. He jumped slightly as a hand fell gently onto his shoulder.  
  
"Want to talk about it son?"  
  
Scott sighed and dropped his head. He might have guessed that his father would wait up for him. In a way he was grateful, he badly needed to talk to someone, or rather, he needed someone to listen to him while he tried to sort his head out. But he wished there could be someone who was not family, someone who would not have to share this pain with him - but there was no way round it. Caught up as they were in a secret organization it was family or no-one.  
  
"I guess so Dad." His voice was rough and uneven. He paused, trying to get the words together in his head to explain to his father, but the words didn't come - or at least not in any order that made sense. How was he going to do this? How was he going to say the words that he could barely believe himself? As if sensing his son's difficulty Jeff started to speak  
  
"Gordon said something about a girl.."  
  
"Yeah" sighed Scott, "yeah, there was a girl alright."  
  
"Scott, you know how things stand here. International Rescue MUST remain secret. If ever...."  
  
"No Dad, no" interrupted his son, "it's not like that believe me. I only wish it was." -the last few words were so quiet that Jeff only just caught them.  
  
"So what the devil is it like Scott? Help me out here. I'm trying to understand but if you won't talk to me then I'm stumped"  
  
Jeff watched as his son stood biting his lip and staring out into the darkness. He could feel the tension emanating from him as Scott struggled to order his thoughts and find the words to explain.  
  
"Dad, I know this sounds crazy but.... after Mom died." his voice broke and trailed away, unwilling to continue  
  
"Yes Scott, what about after your mom died?" Jeff encouraged. What the devil was going on here and what the blazes was troubling his son that had to do with Lucille?  
  
"Did you ever see, or...did you ever.." Scott straightened suddenly and looked straight into his father's eyes, " did you ever meet her again?"  
  
Whatever Jeff had expected from his eldest son it had not been this.  
  
"Scott" breathed Jeff, his voice catching, "son, do you.did you think that you saw your mother? Was this girl you met like her? Similar?"  
  
"No Dad. Not Mom. I didn't meet Mom. Dad, it was Jane.I met Jane today I'm sure I did. But I couldn't have could I?"  
  
Jeff Tracy saw in Scott's eyes the confusion and desperation that his son felt. Confusion that he felt he had seen what could not be possible, desperation to hope that perhaps somehow, by some miracle, he might be correct, that he might have seen the impossible. Jeff reached out and grasped his son's left shoulder and squeezed it gently in a gesture of understanding and sympathy.  
  
"Tell me Son" he said softly.  
  
Scott sighed, ran his hand through his hair and turned towards the darkened lounge. His father turned and followed him. When Scott got to a chair he stopped and sat down, arms resting on his knees and head hanging for a moment. Jeff turned on a table lamp and then drew up another chair from nearby and sat in front of his son. Slowly Scott started to speak.  
  
"It was towards the end of the rescue. Virgil and Gordon had reached the miners in the Mole and loaded them on board and had just started back. The state squad were still with me. Just before Virgil and Gordon got there one of the squad had asked if I wanted a coffee. Well, you know me and coffee" Scott grinned suddenly, his words coming more easily now " when did I ever refuse? Just as the Mole started back someone handed me the coffee.  
I turned to thank the guy who had brought it & then, there she was. It was Jane."  
  
Scott looked hard at his father  
  
"Dad, I know this is hard to believe, but it WAS Jane. Her height, her build, her hair - that beautiful red hair that glowed in the sun" here Scott choked and his voice started to break, his throat tight with emotion. He closed his eyes and swallowed hard before continuing "but it wasn't just that Dad. It was HER face. Everything was the same, eyes, mouth, everything. And it was her voice - exactly the same as it ever was." Scott opened his eyes. They were bright with unshed tears. "When I saw her I guess I was too stunned to say anything. She saw something was wrong, and asked if the coffee was OK, black, strong, two sugars just as I liked it. Dad" Scoot leaned forward in his seat, earnestly entreating his father to believe him "I hadn't said anything to anyone about how I take my coffee. The guy who asked if I wanted some didn't check and I was concentrating on Virge & Gordo in the Mole and didn't say. When I asked her how she knew, she just said I looked like the type who would like strong black coffee with lots of sugar."  
  
"That's all she said?" asked Jeff sharply, "nothing more?"  
  
"No Dad, that's all. She didn't say what Jane used to"  
  
"Did she show any signs of recognition Scott? Anything at all?" asked Jeff  
  
"No Dad, that's just it. There was nothing. I was nearly as close to her then as I am to you now. There was no recognition in her eyes, no hint, no wink, nothing. If there had been, if there had been even the smallest possibility that she knew me......I don't know Dad, I guess at the end of that rescue I'd have brought her back here even if I had to pick her up and carry her into Thunderbird 1 - but there was nothing. Absolutely nothing. To her I was just someone from International Rescue, someone who she'd never seen before and would never see again." Scott stopped and gazed at his father as if assessing how much of all this Jeff believed. Seeing only understanding and encouragement in his father's face he continued slowly and clearly  
  
"But I'd have bet my life on that being Jane Dad, regardless. When she turned and went back to the others... the way she turned her head, even the way she walked were the same."  
  
Scott's voice faltered to a stop, unsure what to say next.  
  
"Gordon said you tried to get her name. Did you?"  
  
"Yeah, I did. Vintmore. Officer Janet Vintmore of the Vermont State search and rescue team. She's based in Rutland - the nearest big town to the mine."  
  
"And you said nothing to her about Jane or International Rescue?"  
  
"What do you take me for Dad? Of course I didn't. I got her name that's all. I don't know where she lives or anything."  
  
Jeff reached forward, put his hands on Scott's shoulders and looked into his eyes.  
  
"Good Scott, good. Because as much as this hurts like hell to say it.. no matter how much we want to believe it and no matter how much Officer Janet Vintmore looks like Jane, both you and I know that she is NOT Jane don't we?" Jeff shook his eldest son slightly to get a response, "Don't we son?"  
  
Scott nodded reluctantly.  
  
"She's NOT Jane Scott" he emphasised. "Jane is dead Scott, she's been dead for nearly six years. Your sister is dead"  
  
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^  
  
Disclaimer: The Thunderbirds characters are owned by someone other than me although Jane Tracey is, I believe, my invention.  
  
I intend only to borrow them and will return them in one piece. 


	2. Episode Two Mistaken Identity

Episode Two - Mistaken Identity  
  
It was just after two o'clock in the morning and the streets were shiny with rain as the figure rounded the corner and paused to lean against the wall. Soaked through, dressed in only jeans and a dark roll-neck sweater the figure doubled over holding an arm around the chest and supporting itself with the other arm against the wall. Breathing was difficult and came in rasping gasps accompanied by waves of hot pain from the rib cage.  
  
Realisation came that the destination was only steps away as eyes almost hidden between badly swollen cheek bones and eye-brows were turned towards the lighted doorway now less than a block away. Summoning last reserves of strength and pushing itself upright the figure staggered towards the steps rising from the sidewalk. After what seemed like a lifetime the flight of steps were reached and the stumbling figure, now approaching the edge of consciousness, mounted them and pushed through the doorway labelled Burlington City Police Department, Westside Precinct.  
  
Reaching the safety of the lighted hallway and being reassured by the sight of blue uniformed burly figures running towards her she finally gave into the exhaustion, pain and shock that had been fighting to claim her and sank down to her knees and then pitched forward onto the tiled floor of the entranceway. Almost immediately she felt large, gentle hands taking her by her shoulders and turning her over and some kind of material being placed underneath her head to support it. Her arms and legs felt like lead, she couldn't have moved them any further to save her life. Forcing her eyes open she focused on the face of the cop hovering above her.  
  
"428 Pearl, third floor.." She managed to get the urgent information out in her first breath.  
  
"Take it easy there miss" the voice was quiet and soothing "don't try to talk..."  
  
"No, please." she gasped "thugs...catch them.." desperately she tried to make him listen, make him understand before they got away, "428, Pearl.."  
  
"I know, I got it, third floor." He placed a finger to her lips, "you just rest and let us help you. We'll take care of the rest"  
  
Nodding faintly she closed her eyes. As the last shreds of her consciousness fled she heard the cop's voice giving orders and summoning medical help.  
  
Jeff Tracy was sitting at his desk in the lounge, working his way through a pile of papers when the soft bleeps of the alarm signal reached him. Looking up to the portraits of his five sons hanging on the opposite wall he saw the eyes of his second son John flashing in time with the bleeps. Out of the corner of his eye he noted his eldest son Scott look up from the chair where he was sitting reading a short distance away. Just behind Scott and to Scott's right Virgil stepped in from the balcony from where he had been looking out over the island, also alerted by the alarm signal.  
  
Jeff operated the communication control on his desk and his ashtray slid upwards revealing a hidden microphone on the underside.  
  
"Go ahead John" the words were the same ones he used nearly every time an alarm signal came into the base of International Rescue, usually changing only with the rotation of duty of his second eldest and his youngest sons in the space station many miles above the island.  
  
The painting of his son slid upwards in the wall, being replaced by a live picture of his son from the satellite station.  
  
"Dad, I've got a strange call that I think you really need to hear" John's voice was perplexed and worried and his face showed bemusement.  
  
"What is it son?"  
  
"We've been contacted by a member of the Vermont State search and rescue team."  
  
Jeff looked sharply at Scott as a loud hiss came from his eldest son. It was two weeks since the rescue in Vermont when Scott had thought he had met with his dead sister. The day afterwards Jeff Tracy had spoken to the other members of the family who had been present at the dinner table at the time of Scott's outburst and told them that the incident was closed and was not to be discussed again. He especially underlined to them that the insinuations made by Gordon concerning Scott and a member of the Vermont search and rescue squad were not to be mentioned again as he had discussed the matter with Scott and it had been resolved. Since that day nothing more had been said of the matter. Now Scott's attention was riveted on his brother's face and Jeff's heartbeat quickened in anticipation of what might be coming next.  
  
"She called to say that she had information that indicated that International Rescue's security has been compromised and that the lives of at least two members of International Rescue are being threatened." Jeff's mind began to race with possibilities as his son continued "but get this Dad, not only did she name The Hood as being involved in the security breach but she named you and Jane as being the two people under threat."  
  
"What the blue blazes..." the exclamation came from Virgil as he moved into the room a little further from the patio doors. Scott turned his head and stared at his father as Jeff replied  
  
"What's her name John."  
  
Neither of them were surprised when the reply came back from space.  
  
"Officer Janet Vintmore. She's based in Rutland."  
  
"Have you still got her John?" this was undoubtedly something that Jeff needed to deal with himself. A breach of security was now a fact as the names of two members of the Tracy family were known and being connected with International Rescue by at least one third party.  
  
"Sure Dad, I'll put her through."  
  
"Do that. And John?"  
  
"Yes Father?"  
  
"Make sure this is all recorded and get an EXACT fix on her location"  
  
"F.A.B. Putting her through now"  
  
John's live feed picture remained but a faint click indicated that the three-way connection had now been made. As Jeff quickly tried to gather his thoughts to address this situation he noted that not only had both Scott and Virgil now approached his desk but also that Alan and Gordon had come through from the kitchen where they been finishing their breakfasts when the call came through from the space station.  
  
"Officer Vintmore you are through to International Rescue base. I understand that you have some important information for us?"  
  
The voice that came back through the speakers made Jeff's breath catch in his throat. Although his conversation with Scott after the rescue had warned him, he was still unprepared for the shock when a voice so like that of his dead daughter replied to him.  
  
"Yes sir. It maybe that you already know this but in case you don't I thought I'd better contact you."  
  
"Know what exactly?"  
  
"There is an unsavoury character known by his hired thugs as The Hood who seems to have some sort of sworn vendetta against International Rescue and its operatives. He wants to get his hands on your craft for purposes of his own which seem to fall into the class of intended world domination. I guess that's probably no big surprise to you as I'm sure there's a whole bunch of guys who'd like to get their hands on your secrets - probably headed up by the World President himself."  
  
At this wry grins appeared on the faces of the Tracy males. They were well aware just how much the world generals would like to get their hands on the technology of the International Rescue organisation.  
  
"However this guy seems to think he's pretty certain who's in charge of your operation. I don't know how accurate this information may be and I don't want to know. Your secrets are safe from me but to give you some idea of the accuracy of this guy, he's certain that the main person involved in your set-up is one Jefferson Tracy. The Hood's consumed with hate for this guy Tracy for some reason and definitely wants him dead."  
  
Jeff's sons were all gathered round their father and listening hard now. The level of hatred levelled against International Rescue by The Hood was no surprise to them but they were concerned and startled to learn that this knowledge of the identity of the head of International Rescue was leaking out.  
  
"However" continued the voice "that's nothing compared to how he feels about the other one. At the moment he's practically foaming at the mouth over Jane Tracy. Apparently he almost had her in his hands about six years ago but the thugs who snatched her from some boat or other managed to let her get away. For some reason he lost sight of her then and thought she was beyond his reach but recently he thinks he's found her and intends to make sure she doesn't get away again."  
  
Virgil, Gordon and Alan Tracy stared at each other in shock, amazement and disbelief. John's face looking down from the wall looked equally stunned. Jeff and Scott paled and exchanged a quick glance. The same question was in both their minds.  
  
"That is all most interesting Officer" responded Jeff forcing his voice to remain level. "I'm sure you'll understand why I can't comment on the accuracy what you've said. However I would appreciate knowing how this information came into your hands"  
  
There was a slight hesitation before the reply came back.  
  
"Well, it seems that the thugs used by this creep seem to think I bear some resemblance to this Jane Tracy I mentioned. Three days ago I was jumped by them in Burlington when I was up there getting some things sorted at Search and Rescue State Headquarters. They were going to hand me over to their boss but before they did that they decided to see if they could...persuade me....to give them any information first. I think they were considering a double cross if they could get their paws on your secrets themselves. In the process they let slip what they had already learned about your organisation from their boss."  
  
Jeff's voice was gruff as he asked the question to which he dreaded hearing the answer.  
  
"Did they hurt you?"  
  
Again there was a hesitation and when the reply came the voice seemed slightly unsteady  
  
"Let's just say their form of persuasion doesn't involve too much talking."  
  
Jeff's voice was tight with anger and regret. There was little that he could think to say that would be a consolation.  
  
"My dear I am so sorry."  
  
"You don't have to apologise" the search and rescue officer was quick to break in, "it wasn't your fault. Besides" although there was no picture Jeff and his sons got the impression that Officer Vintmore was actually smiling as she continued "it's not every day that a girl gets the compliment of being mistaken for a member of the renowned International Rescue organisation. Anyhow, I'm glad that it was me that they took rather than the real Jane Tracy. No slight intended but there was no risk of them getting information out of me 'cause I didn't have any to give even if I'd wanted to."  
  
"How did you persuade them to let you go?" Jeff asked, puzzled why this girl was still alive.  
  
"I didn't. The hoodlums who jumped me weren't too clever. After taking a little of their 'persuasion' I decided to play dead. Not only were they too stupid to check to see if I was really unconscious or not, they also left me alone in an unlocked room. Once they'd left I sneaked out of the room and found my way out of the building they were keeping me in. I managed to get to a nearby police precinct and they took over from there. Unfortunately by the time the police got to the building where I had been held the thugs had realised I'd got free and had got clean away."  
  
"What did you tell the police?"  
  
"That I was abducted by two guys I'd never seen before and held against my will until I managed to escape. I gave no motive and said nothing about International Rescue or The Hood. I reckoned that accurate or not, the less information that people have about your organisation the better. You guys have saved the lives of thousands of people all over the world. I'm sure as heck not going to do anything that might jeopardise you. I left the police to drawn their own conclusions and when they jumped to the wrong ones I didn't correct them. So far as they're concerned they're dealing with a random attempted rape or murder that didn't come off. Those crimes are common enough right now that no-one's going to go looking for more complicated reasons."  
  
Jeff breathed a sigh of relief, thankful that this girl seemed, at least on the surface, to be trustworthy and to have her head screwed on right.  
  
Scott leaned over his father's desk and spoke into the microphone  
  
"Officer Vintmore, how are those twelve miners getting on that got trapped in the mine a couple of weeks back?"  
  
Jeff looked at his son, wondering why he was pursuing this line. Again there was a pause before the officer replied and then her voice floated back, this time carrying recognition.  
  
"Oh hi there, nice to speak to you again. You know that's not a very good question to use to check my identity" there was more than a hint of amusement in the voice as it continued "even the television news stations have been accurately reporting that it was eleven and not twelve miners who were rescued." Scott blushed slightly and looked chagrined as his father and brothers turned grinning faces towards him. However, all of them froze in shock at her next words  
  
"Perhaps it would help if I asked you if you'd drunk any cups of black coffee with two sugars in today. You know I really don't know how you can stomach that concoction. It's an insult to call it coffee. Hot, caffeinated molasses would be a far more accurate description."  
  
For a few seconds none of the Tracy men could speak. That particular phrase was one that had been used countless times over the years by Jane Tracy to describe her antipathy to Scott's taste in coffee. To hear it coming to them now from a complete stranger who had more than a passing resemblance to their dead family member rocked them to the core. For Virgil, Gordon, Alan and John, listening in from the space station, it pinpointed the reason why all of them had been feeling that the voice of this officer was so familiar. For Jeff and Scott it re-opened the incredible impossibility that they had discarded two weeks previously. Jeff Tracy recovered first.  
  
"Where are you now Officer Vintmore?"  
  
"At my home, just outside Pittsford, Vermont off highway 7. I would have called you sooner but this is the first time in the last three days when I've been anywhere someone else couldn't overhear the call."  
  
"You live by yourself?"  
  
"Yeah. I moved out here just over four years ago. Why do you ask?"  
  
"Those hoodlums are still out there that's why. They've got it into their heads that you're someone that you're not and they may decide to grab you again. Is there anywhere else you can go for a while until they lose interest? A relative you can stay with where you'll be safe?"  
  
"I have no relatives that I know of sir. Don't worry about me, I'll be fine. Anyhow they jumped me in Burlington not Rutland. I'm rarely in Burlington and don't expect to go back there for the next few months. As I've been in this area for the last few years with no problems they must have only just spotted me by chance. Chances are they don't know where I live and now I'm back home they won't be able to find out."  
  
Jeff was uneasy but no immediate alternative presented itself to him.  
  
"Very well Officer, the choice is yours. Just be careful that's all. You've already taken one beating because of International Rescue. I'd hate you to be subjected to another one because of us."  
  
"Understood International Rescue. Thanks for your concern. I'll certainly be on my guard don't you worry. But the same applies to you. If this Jefferson and Jane Tracy are part of your set-up then tell them from me that this guy The Hood sounds a thoroughly nasty piece of work and they should keep well clear of him. You guys sure do a great job and I'd hate for any harm to come to you. Officer Vintmore out"  
  
With that the connection was cut and the members of International Rescue were alone with their thoughts.  
  
"John" Jeff snapped  
  
"Yes father?"  
  
"Did you get all that?"  
  
"Sure thing dad. I got her location as well. As she said she's just outside Pittsford, about three miles west of highway 7, north of Rutland. I've made a note of the exact map reference. Father, what's going on? She sounded just like Jane and she said those hoodlums mistook her for Jane."  
  
"Yeah dad" chimed in Virgil "What's going on here? You and Scott know something don't you?"  
  
Virgil, Gordon and Alan looked accusingly at Scott and Jeff. John was also gazing down at them from his video frame, having no intention of missing out on this conversation.  
  
Scott looked at his father enquiringly, and received a nod in return  
  
"Tell them Scott"  
  
Drawing a deep breath Scott turned to his brothers, being sure to include John in his view, and told them of his meeting with Janet Vintmore two weeks previously. When he had finished his brothers all began to speak at once.  
  
"Father, one of us needs to go over there straight away and bring her back, she's in danger there."  
  
"When the hell is this Hood guy going to leave us alone. Now he's attacking innocent civilians who happen to look like us!"  
  
"Dad do you reckon this Janet Vintmore is for real? Maybe The Hood's using her as a lure to try to trap us."  
  
"Gee Dad do you reckon this Janet Vintmore really is Jane? Why wouldn't she have contacted us before now if she is?"  
  
Jeff Tracy held up his hands to hold off the barrage of questions that came at him from his puzzled and startled sons.  
  
"Hold it boys, hold it right there. Firstly I don't what's going on here any more than you do, but I sure as heck intend to find out. Now, first things first. There's been a breach of International Rescue security and we need to sort that out as fast as possible. Scott?"  
  
"Yes father?"  
  
"Get me the file for International Rescue agents in the vicinity of Vermont State. We need to learn as much as we can about this Janet Vintmore as quickly as we can. If everything she says is true then she's still in danger. She may think she's safe from those crooks but we know the lengths to which The Hood is prepared to go to get at our secrets. If he's convinced that she's really Jane then it's not going to take him long to find out where she is and to kidnap her again. I'm not prepared to let that happen if I can stop it."  
  
"F.A.B. dad" Scott turned and left the lounge.  
  
"What if she's lying father?" the question came from John in Thunderbird 5. Jeff turned to face his second son.  
  
"If she's lying John then we'll face that possibility when we get to it. For now let's give her the benefit of the doubt as we can't do anything about it until we know one way or the other."  
  
"What if she really is Jane father? According to what she said Jane may never have been on that ship when it went down." The quiet question came from Virgil and stopped Jeff in his tracks. It was the third possibility and one that made his gut clench in anguish. Struggling to control his emotions Jeff turned to his middle son.  
  
"That's a highly unlikely possibility Virgil," he said gruffly, "let's not raise our hopes son."  
  
"Her body was never found father. It makes sense. It could be her"  
  
Virgil's face was pale underneath his chestnut coloured hair, his eyes flat and expressionless as they watched Jeff's face. Jeff's emotions were in turmoil as he looked at his son. Jane had been Virgil's twin, younger than him by only a few minutes and, like him, she also had been very similar to Lucille Tracy in her looks, character and emotions. Jeff had been devastated with the loss of his wife but it was that same devastation that had helped him to cope when Jane was lost - he had survived worse, just, and he would survive the loss of his daughter.  
  
But for Virgil, when Lucille died the twins had subconsciously turned to each other, clinging to the closest thing to them that reminded them of their mother. When Jane was missing, in those last few terrible days Virgil walked around like the living dead in a numbed daze, with no purpose or direction. When Jane was presumed dead it was only Scott who could manage to get close to Virgil at all. He would be there, holding him for hours at a time and just sitting with him in silence, until finally the tears began to fall after the remembrance service, many long days after that dreadful call was received. Jeff feared now what might happen if hopes long dead and buried were brought back to life, only to be cruelly dashed again. He didn't want to see that happen to his son again.  
  
"Very few of the bodies were ever found Virgil, you know that. Let's just take this one step at a time, son. For now we need to find out all we can about her and we'll take it from there once we know more."  
  
At that moment Scott returned to the room carrying the information that Jeff had requested. Wordlessly Jeff took it from him and started to read.  
  
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^  
  
Disclaimer: The Thunderbirds characters are owned by someone other than me although Jane Tracey is, I believe, my invention.  
  
I intend only to borrow them and will return them in one piece. 


	3. Episode Three A Call for Help

Episode Three - A Call for Help  
  
Officer Janet Vintmore of the Vermont State Search and Rescue Team winced and caught her breath as she reached up to the cupboard to get a tin of sauce to add to the meal she was cooking. The strapping around her bruised and cracked ribs was supportive and helpful as her body gradually repaired itself but there were still quite tight limits to what she was fit to do at the moment. 'If I ever come across those hoodlums again,' she thought to herself, 'I sure hope I get the opportunity to repay them a little of what I owe them.'  
  
As she added the sauce to the already bubbling ingredients in the pan on the stove she turned off the radio sitting nearby. The jazz programme she had been listening to was just finishing and she had no desire to listen to the news and current affairs programme that was to follow. Just as the radio fell silent she caught the sound of breaking glass and stopped cold. Janet lived out in the hills some miles north of the city of Rutland in a quiet isolated area. The nearest house was a good mile away and she seldom had visitors but despite this she still felt comfortable with the silence that constantly surrounded the house where she lived. It felt right, somehow, to have a sense of isolation from the rest of the world. However at the moment she would have wished to have neighbours a little closer.  
  
Quickly turning off the power under the pan she stepped to the door of the kitchen and listening carefully she caught the muffled sound of a window being opened in the front of the house. Taking a gun from one of the kitchen drawers she turned off the kitchen light, opened the door with one swift movement and went out into the darkened hallway, silently shutting the kitchen door behind her.  
  
International Rescue Agent 65 completed his circuit and once again hunkered down in the bushes opposite the front of the house. Everything was silent and the only noises he heard were those of the breeze brushing through the bushes and the occasional cry of a bird from far overhead. Although an old style sash window downstairs stood fully open on this hot day no sound or sign of occupation came from the house. Checking his gun once more he stood and approached the two wooden steps leading up to the front veranda. No sound came from the house as he reached the front door that was already ajar. Pushing it fully open he cautiously stepped inside. A slightly yellow light fell into the hallway from one of the rooms leading off it. Step by step he made his way through the house alert to any noise or disturbance but the only sound was that of his quiet footsteps on the wooden floor. Reaching the doorway of the lighted room he peered around the doorframe. The room, which had evidently been used as a lounge, was in disarray. The remains of a small coffee table were discarded, shattered against one wall. A table lamp was lying smashed near the base of a chair and a rug that presumably should have been gracing the middle of the floor was all scrunched up to one side of the fireplace. However most concerning of all was a dark pool of congealing liquid on the floor by one wall. Immediately above the pool was a dark brown streak on the wall extending from about shoulder height and trailing down to the floor.  
  
"Dammit"  
  
John Tracy flinched as his father's hand banged down on his desk. Although he was a long way removed from Tracy Island in Thunderbird 5 he could clearly feel his father's anger as he relayed the report from Agent 65.  
  
"Did the report say anything else John?" Jeff asked as he got his emotions back under control and thought where to go from here "Was there any trace outside the house at all?"  
  
"No Father. The ground around the property is apparently quite dry and stony. There were indications that a vehicle of some sort had been nearby and the tracks ran away from the property back towards the highway but they were lost as soon as they reached the road."  
  
"What about at the house itself?"  
  
"Agent 65 checked after finding the bloodstain. It looks like only one person lived there but every room looked as it had been briefly searched - drawers pulled out, cupboards opened, furniture moved and the like but there was no obvious other damage done that he could see. There were items still present in the house that would normally be expected to be taken in a break-in so it seems that wasn't the main motivation." John hesitated.  
  
"What else son?" his father prompted, seeing that John had something else to add.  
  
"After going out to the house Agent 65 spoke to Captain James Johnson, the head of the Search and Rescue squad based in Rutland father."  
  
"And?"  
  
"He confirmed the details Officer Vintmore gave us a few days ago. She turned up in a Burlington Police Precinct badly beaten and barely conscious. She spent the next three days in hospital and after her discharge she was signed off work sick for three weeks to recover."  
  
Jeff's jaw clenched tightly as he heard his son's words. It was a possibility that the search and rescue officer had been lying to them about the abduction but this report bore testimony to the truth of her tale. The thought of an innocent female abducted and beaten because of her supposed connections to International Rescue made him furious. Meanwhile, John continued relaying the findings of the International Rescue agent.  
  
"Captain Johnson says she is a completely trusted member of the squad. However, very little is known about her. She doesn't seem to have any family nor is she known to have any friends or associates outside the squad."  
  
"So she keeps to herself and lives a quiet, unassuming life" interrupted his father, "what's so strange about that?"  
  
"Well Dad, she joined the squad about five years ago. She was recommended to Captain Johnson by his brother, a Doctor Bill Johnson, at the Vintmore Memorial Hospital in New York. She used to be a patient of his."  
  
"Vintmore Memorial?" broke in Scott from where he was listening to the exchange in the lounge of the Tracy home, "that's rather a co-incidence isn't it? Presumably she's not related to the founder of the hospital?"  
  
"That's just it Scott" responded John "Agent 65 says that Captain Johnson wasn't too forthcoming with information. He thinks the Captain knows more than he's telling about Officer Vintmore's background but all he would do was refer 65 to his brother at the hospital if he wanted to know anything else about her. In the meantime Captain Johnson was going to get the authorities moving on looking for her"  
  
"I want that information John," growled Jeff Tracy, "now more than ever. This thing is winding itself into stranger and stranger turns and I intend to get to the bottom of it. Tell Agent 65 to get himself down to the Vintmore Memorial Hospital and check out this Doctor Bill Johnson. I want to know everything they know about Janet Vintmore. That includes her medical records. If he can't get those directly we may need to let Brains have a go at their computer to see what information we can prise out of it by breaking its security codes. Meantime keep monitoring the police channels in the area in case they turn up anything"  
  
"F.A.B father" John Tracy signed off and closed the link to Tracy island.  
  
"So what do we do now father?" The question came from Alan who was also in the lounge of the family home, "do we go looking for her ourselves?"  
  
"No Alan," Jeff turned to his youngest son with a frown. "you know International Rescue is here to save lives that are in danger." He held up his hand as Alan opened his mouth to interrupt "Janet Vintmore may be in danger but we have no idea where she is nor do we have any way of tracing her right now. No, our best course of action is to do nothing and wait to hear from Agent 65 and see what the authorities turn up. International Rescue still needs to be operational in case emergency calls come in. We can't go off looking for a missing person and leave the base unattended. Let's just hope that that poor girl isn't already dead and gets a chance to escape from her captors a second time. "  
  
Janet Vintmore pressed down hard on the wound beneath her hands that was still weeping blood into the heavy bandage that she pressed against it. She wracked her brains to extract the last dregs of first aid and medical knowledge that she had for anything else that may be of any use to her now. Sighing she shook her head. This wound needed proper medical attention and it needed it soon. Without it, so far as she could see, death was likely to delay no more than another day at most. She turned as the door behind her opened to admit a tall man with black hair and a glowering face.  
  
"How is he?"  
  
"Dying" she snapped "he needs a doctor and he needs one now."  
  
"Well that's something he's not going to get thanks to you, bitch. Now your friends at International Rescue have alerted the authorities we can't risk going anywhere in this state without everyone looking for us."  
  
"I keep telling you" she replied, as evenly as she could "I don't know anything about International Rescue. You've got the wrong person."  
  
"Save it for the birds lady. I know who you are no matter how much you deny it and I'll tell you this" the man approached until he was well within her personal space and his face was inches from her own "for now you're safe - I need you to look after Mike. But if he dies from that bullet you pumped into him then I intend to finish that little business he started six years ago before I kill you too." The look that he gave her started at her face, travelled down her body and then travelled back to her face and left her in no doubt as to what 'that little business' might mean, and she shuddered in disgust and loathing.  
  
Turning back to the brown haired stockily built man lying on the pallet before her she started to re-bind the wound, hoping that the bleeding would not soak through this bandage as quickly as it had soaked through the previous ones. She needed time to think of an escape plan but for now time seemed to be one thing she was running out of.  
  
The emergency call roused first John Tracy and then the remainder of the Tracy family from their sleep in the early hours of the morning. The operatives of the worlds most famous rescue operation had spent a restless few hours waiting for news of Janet Vintmore that never came. As Scott, Virgil, Gordon and Alan tumbled into the lounge, in their night robes, tousle haired and sleepy eyed it was to find their father already behind his desk talking to John on the communications link direct to the space satellite.  
  
"Does he know how badly she's injured John?"  
  
"Not completely Father, she plainly has a broken leg but she's only semi- conscious and he's too far away from her to be able to talk to her."  
  
As Jeff saw his other sons enter the lounge he held up his hand to forestall their questions while he finished his conversation with John.  
  
"And the local authorities can't help?"  
  
"No father. It would take them over four hours on the local roads to get to the danger zone. The nearest air rescue teams are already handling a job to the north and are not going to be able to get there for at least another two hours, maybe longer.  
  
"OK John, let the authorities know that we'll handle it so they can concentrate on their own efforts and I'll get your brothers under way. Once Scott's in the air give him the co-ordinates."  
  
"F.A.B." The live feed from Thunderbird Five was cut and the painted picture of the second eldest Tracy son was restored to its place on the wall.  
  
"Right boys, we've got to make this one quick." Jeff turned to his sons who were by now wide awake and listening. "Scott, take Thunderbird One. You're heading for the Cordillera Mountains in Peru. There's a woman stuck halfway down a cliff with a broken leg at best, other injuries are possible. Set up Mobile Control where you can. Virgil will be behind you with a double crew."  
  
"F.A.B." All tiredness forgotten Scott crossed to the other side of the lounge activated the entrance to Thunderbird One's hanger and disappeared.  
  
"Virgil"  
  
"Yes Father?"  
  
"Take Thunderbird Two with Pod Three. You'll need the winching gear. Alan, Gordon, you'll both be needed for this one. Right, off you go."  
  
"F.A.B."  
  
"Sure thing Dad"  
  
Virgil crossed the lounge then stood with his back to the painting that held the entry path to the hanger of Thunderbird Two. As the painting swung on the hidden pivot points, raising his feet above his head and sending him hurtling down the entry chute towards the hanger far below, Alan and Gordon made their way to the passenger elevator that would take them down to join him on the large rescue craft.  
  
In less than two minutes a soft bleeping noise drew Jeff's attention to the picture of Scott.  
  
"Go ahead Scott"  
  
"Thunderbird One ready for lift off"  
  
Jeff checked the proximity device to ensure there was no air traffic too close to the island.  
  
"Thunderbird One, you are clear for lift off."  
  
"F.A.B."  
  
From below the ground came a sudden deep growling rumble that built in volume until the vibrations could be felt through the floor and the walls. Jeff stood and walked to the lounge windows and looked out into the darkness. He was just in time to see a dark shape rising from the blackness where the swimming pool was usually located. Quickly the glowing tail of the rescue 'plane sped past and diminished to a glowing spot in the sky. Returning to his desk Jeff cleared Thunderbird Two for take off and then acknowledged Scott's standard report that Thunderbird One had achieved cruising altitude and was changing to horizontal flight.  
  
Jeff Tracy sat behind his desk and tried to force himself to relax. Now the waiting would begin. This rescue did not seem especially difficult on the face of it but the unexpected could happen at any time and once a call for help had been received Jeff was never at ease until all of the Thunderbird machines had returned home and he could see that his sons were safe.  
  
"Your sons have all gone Mr Tracy?"  
  
Jeff looked up into the face of Kyrano with a smile.  
  
"Yes Kyrano, they're all on their way to South America. Scott should be there within thirty minutes and Virgil, Gordon and Alan will be close behind him. With any luck they should all be back in time for breakfast."  
  
"Then you have enough time for a cup of coffee Mr Tracy?"  
  
Jeff laughed. It had become a small ritual in the Tracy household that once a rescue was underway Jeff's faithful retainer would appear by his side with a coffee and would ensure that he was kept well supplied with the hot drink until the rescue was over. This rescue was no exception.  
  
"Thank you Kyrano - that would be great."  
  
With a half bow the elderly man retired to the kitchen and left Jeff Tracy alone to wait.  
  
The weak breaths rattled in the throat of the dying man as he opened his eyes and looked across the room to where his compatriot stood watching. His voice was a mere croak.  
  
"Dave....help me...please."  
  
"Do something to help him!" hissed the dark haired man, "don't just sit there."  
  
Sensing a chance at last Officer Vintmore raised her head to look at her kidnapper.  
  
"There's one thing more I can try but I need your help"  
  
"What do you want? I'm no doctor, just to see all that blood makes me sick. How can I help?"  
  
"I need you to come over here and hold something for me. You don't even have to look if you don't want to, I'll put it into your hand so you can hold it and then you can close your eyes while I do the rest." She held her breath. 'Surely he won't fall for this one' she thought, 'no-one could be that stupid.' Hesitantly Dave slid the gun that he had been pointing at the search and rescue officer into the belt of his trousers, rose to his feet and approached the pallet.  
  
"Right Senora, that's your neck and leg immobilized. Now, we just need to get you onto this stretcher so we can lift you up to the top of the cliff and back to your husband." Gordon smiled reassuringly down into the large frightened brown eyes of the woman. She had been lying on this narrow cliff ledge for the better part of an hour already. Her leg was broken in at least two places, she had a head wound and a possible concussion to go with it and was complaining of neck and back pains. To top it all she was cold and starting to go into shock despite the survival blanket that was carefully wrapped around her.  
  
"Cliff Rescue to Mobile Control" he activated his wrist communicator to update his brothers on his progress, omitting his name for security reasons.  
  
"This is Mobile Control, go ahead Cliff Rescue. How are things going down there?" Scott answered quickly. He had been waiting for Gordon's call and was relieved to see his brother's face looking back at him from the console.  
  
"Fine. I've done what I can to make Senora Rodriguez set for the transfer. I'm just going to get her onto the stretcher and then we'll be ready to go. It should only be a couple of minutes. Have we got the steer to the nearest hospital ready? We'll need to get her there pretty quickly - she's starting to go into shock."  
  
"Yeah, we've got the course laid in and ready to go." Virgil's voice cut in on the three-way system. He had been listening to the exchange between Gordon and Scott and had just received the details of the hospital from John in the satellite. "Just give the word and Thunderbird Two can winch you up and we'll be on our way."  
  
"F.A.B." acknowledged Gordon, "standby"  
  
Extracting a small bag about the size of his hand from the pack he had brought with him he began to explain to his patient.  
  
"Now I'm going to bring this piece of material up underneath you bit by bit. You'll need to raise yourself up a little so I can slide it underneath you. Can you do that?"  
  
Puzzled non-comprehending eyes looked back at him.  
  
"Darn it" Gordon grimaced in frustration, "I was afraid this might happen. Oh well, good job we've got our own translator on tap." Bringing his watch up to his face he activated the COM link again. "Cliff Rescue to Thunderbird Five, come in please"  
  
"Thunderbird Five here" John's reply was immediate, his voice concerned. "What's up squirt?"  
  
"I need Mrs Rodriguez's help in getting her onto the stretcher - I can't lift her as there's not even enough room for me to stand on the ledge next to her. I've tried to explain but she doesn't know any English. Can you translate for me so she knows what to do?"  
  
"Sure thing kid. Start talking and I'll do the Spanish side."  
  
Breathing a sigh of relief Gordon turned to the Senora and holding his watch close to her face so she could hear John's translation he began to speak slowly.  
  
Dave was bent over the supine body of Mike, holding tightly onto the improvised 'tourniquet' that Janet Vintmore had wound around Mike's upper arm. She had been amazed that Dave had fallen for the obvious ruse - how could anyone ever imagine that applying a tourniquet to an arm would help stem the flow of blood from a shoulder wound? Dave had not closed his eyes but his face was turned down towards the dying man. Acting with as much speed as she could Janet Vintmore picked up the small stool she had been sitting on and brought it down as hard as she could onto the back of his neck. With a small grunt Dave collapsed down onto the body of his friend. After bringing down the stool onto Dave's head a second time for good measure Janet dashed to the door of the room of the room, dragged it open and once outside pulled it shut behind her. She found a key in the lock, left there from the last time Dave had used it, turned it in the lock and pocketed it. Then she fled up the corridor.  
  
Activating the inflation valve on the portable stretcher Gordon watched briefly as the thin piece of material under Mrs Rodriguez' body began to inflate and thicken rapidly. Happy that it was working correctly he attached the cables from the winch to the ring support that was lying on the chest of his patient. As he clipped the last cable into place the inflation clicked to a stop and he checked the securing belt straps that lay across her ankles, hips, waist, chest and head for the last time and then checked the securing locks that held him in contact with the stretcher so that he could help to stabilise it as it was lifted upwards into the waiting rescue craft. All was ready.  
  
"Cliff Rescue to Thunderbird Two Winch Control."  
  
"Go ahead Cliff Rescue" the voice of his youngest brother drifted back to him from his wrist communicator.  
  
"Stretcher inflation completed and restraints in place. All ready to go."  
  
"F.A.B. Cliff Rescue. Starting retrieval process now."  
  
Gradually the excess coil was taken up and the winch cable became taut. Gordon felt the change in stability as the stretcher left the cliff ledge and became airborne. He gradually began to drift around as both he and the stretcher were lifted upwards to the under belly of Thunderbird Two where it hung above them. Placing one hand on the arm of the woman next to him, and the other on her head to check for any increase in her temperature he smiled down at her reassuringly, hoping with his face to convey the words that he could not speak.  
  
Looking into the third room that she had checked Officer Vintmore finally found what she had been looking for - a communication station. Similar in design to radio transmitters she had seen as various older mines and ranger stations that she had had occasion to visit during her career with the Vermont Search and Rescue Squad she set to work to get help. Flicking switches and setting dials she picked up the microphone standing on the top of the console.  
  
"Calling International Rescue, calling International Rescue, come in please, this is an emergency."  
  
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^  
  
Disclaimer: The Thunderbirds characters are owned by someone other than me although Jane Tracey is, I believe, my invention.  
  
I intend only to borrow them and will return them in one piece. 


	4. Episode Four An Unexpected Meeting

Episode Four - An unexpected meeting.  
  
"Calling International Rescue. Calling International Rescue. Come in please. This is an emergency"  
  
John Tracy whirled from the large panoramic windows of the International Rescue space satellite and strode to his station to respond to the call. At the trigger words of 'International Rescue' the automatic registering devices of Thunderbird Five cut out the cacophony of noise coming from the other myriad of channels emanating from the earth and allowed only the emergency call to come through the speakers.  
  
"This is International Rescue. What is your situation?"  
  
"Thank the stars. Look I don't have much time. This is Officer Vintmore of the Vermont State Search and Rescue Squad. I don't know where I am but I've got the two hoodlums I told you about that are threatening your organization. One of them's as good as dead but the other one's going to be here soon. I need."  
  
"Whoa, whoa, calm down, take it slowly." John was relieved to hear her voice and to know that she was still alive but the situation did not sound good. "As good as dead? What's going on? Are you alright?"  
  
"I shot him when they broke into my house. Look I don't have time for this."  
  
A muffled banging sound came from the background.  
  
"What was that?" asked John, alarmed.  
  
"That was the reason I don't have much time." Janet Vintmore's voice held a note of desperation. "He's trying to break his way out of the room I locked him in. It won't be long before he gets through. I'll have to lead him away from here as I'm going to leave this channel open. I'm sure your organization has the ability to trace calls. Get a fix on this signal and get the authorities to come help. I'll hold out as long as I can but once he catches me I won't have that much time and then he'll be gone back under the stone he crawled out from under and you'll have lost your chance."  
  
Again a noise came from the background, this time it was that of a shot. Still distant but distinct.  
  
"I can't let you do this, it's too dangerous" said John, appalled at the risk that she was running.  
  
"I'll take my chances" came the reply. "Anyway, you're hardly in a position to do anything about it now are you? I'm going, he's nearly out. Keep quiet and don't give the game away. If he comes into this room to look for me he may not notice the channel is open." And then she was gone.  
  
John's fingers flew over the control panel as he opened communications to the base of International Rescue.  
  
"This is International Rescue base calling Thunderbird One. Come in Scott"  
  
"Nice timing father I'm all packed up and ready to go." muttered Scott as he finished fixing his safety belt and reached for the communications panel. "Thunderbird One to International Rescue base, go ahead."  
  
His panel lit up to reveal the anxious face of his father looking back at him. Automatically Scott looked out of his viewing window to the now distant dot of Thunderbird Two receding into the distance. Everything there looked fine so what was wrong?  
  
"Scott, how are things going?" His father's request was more a bark than a question. Scott's eyebrows tightened as he frowned. Something was up that's for sure.  
  
"Fine Dad. Thunderbird Two just left for the hospital with Mrs Rodriguez. They should have her there within five minutes. Her husband is following by road and will be there in an hour or two. I was just about to head for home when you called. What's wrong?"  
  
"John's picked up a call from Janet Vintmore."  
  
"What? Is she alright?"  
  
"For now yes but she may not be for much longer. John's traced the call to a range of hills in a heavily forested area in New Hampshire. Apparently her kidnappers have holed up there. Officer Vintmore's managed to escape long enough to make the call but by the sound of things they're still after her. She's trying to delay them long enough for help to arrive but I don't need to tell you that if they catch her before help gets there her outlook is bleak."  
  
"F.A.B dad, I'm on my way" Scott didn't need to wait for the instruction and immediately fired the vertical jets underneath Thunderbird One to take the aircraft into the air. "What about Virgil and the others?"  
  
"I'll contact them and get them to head north to join you once they've finished at the hospital. They should be close behind you. And Scott"  
  
"Yes father?"  
  
"Make it as snappy as you can and when you get there take care. These hoodlums are dangerous. Use whatever means are necessary to look after yourself and to rescue Office Vintmore."  
  
"F.A.B"  
  
Closing the communication channel Scott turned the Thunderbird machine in a roaring sweep and headed north east across the top of the South American continent, out over the Gulf of Mexico and on towards the north eastern corner of the United States.  
  
Janet Vintmore slipped into the shadows behind a pile of crates, hugging the darkness as the footfalls of her pursuer drew closer to the door of the room where she had taken refuge. Although room was too kind a description for something that was little more than a cave with a door. When she had awoken from the knock-out blow she had sustained during her capture she was already in the room that held her dying kidnapper so when she fled after contacting International Rescue she had had to guess which way she should go. It appeared that she had guessed wrong. As she had left the badly lit corridor where the first rooms were located she had moved into an area where the rooms were increasingly Spartan and ill kept. It soon became clear that she was going deeper into a maze of passages that had been carved out of a hill or mountain. To escape she would presumably have to double back the way she had come, being sure not to run into Dave along the way.  
  
She was tiring rapidly now. She was still dizzy and sick from the blow to her head and the seemingly endless game of hide-and-seek that she was playing was not helping. In addition the bandaging that the hospital had put around her for support had been ripped from her by Dave and used as some of the first bandages to try to stem the flow of blood from Mike's shoulder. As a result every breath she took caused a wave of pain to flood her body. She could feel some of the ribs moving against each other and guessed that the blows she had received during the fight prior to her capture had succeeded in finally breaking those ribs that had previously only been cracked. She knew that she could not keep up this desperate dodging around in these caves for much longer and only hoped that the authorities would arrive in time.  
  
The footfalls passed the door without entering. Breathing a sigh of relief she rested her head against the crate in front of her. The lettering on the side of the crate caught her attention. Her eyes widening in surprise she traced the letters with a shaking hand and then stooped to examine the other crates beneath and to either side. With a hopeful expression growing on her face she slipped around the room quickly examining the other crates that were there.  
  
Scott Tracy settled Thunderbird One down on the hillside a few hundred meters away from the entrance.  
  
"Thunderbird One to International Rescue"  
  
"Go ahead Scott"  
  
"I'm at the Danger Zone father. Everything looks quiet at the moment. I've over flown what looks like an old mine entrance and the gateway is wide open. There's a truck outside the entrance but there wasn't anyone around. I've landed Thunderbird One in a clearing a short distance away. There'll be room for Thunderbird Two when Virgil gets here."  
  
"F.A.B. Scott, he's just twenty minutes behind you now"  
  
"Has John heard anything more from Officer Vintmore Father?"  
  
"No Scott there's been nothing since her initial contact."  
  
"Right. I'm going in."  
  
"Take care Scott, and keep in touch"  
  
"F.A.B."  
  
Scott closed down the communications channel, checked his belt for his gun and torch and then stepped out into the late morning sunshine. Quickly he crossed the clearing and entered the tree line, making in the direction of the mine that he had seen from the air. He covered the distance quickly and came out in front of the mine. No one was in sight and all was quiet. Scott opened the door of the vehicle and on the floor inside found a large patch of what looked like dried blood. Finding nothing else he turned to the mine entrance. Stopping just over the threshold, where the light of the day still penetrated the darkness he checked his gun and then silently and carefully made his way into the gloom.  
  
"I know you're in here bitch" the voice came to her through the darkness "and I've come to kill you - after I've had a little fun with you of course."  
  
Janet Vintmore withdrew her hand from the opened crate and put two of its contents into her pockets. Slipping behind the crate she pressed herself back against it, waiting for the right moment. Light suddenly flooded the room, dissolving the shadows into nothingness. Her chances now were severely reduced. Inching her way along the crates lining one wall she reached a position where she was only a relatively short run from the doorway. Her pursuer had advanced into the room a short way and was panning from one side of the room to the other, his gun in front of him looking for his target. There was no way she could exit the room without being seen by him. Memorizing the path to the door as well as she could she removed one of the items from her pocket, checked it was ready for use and threw it towards one of the stacks of crates in the far corner of the room.  
  
Scott moved cautiously down the corridor stepping as silently as he could and listening for any noises and checking the rooms opening off the corridor as he came to them. Most were empty and bore signs of recent use as sleeping and living quarters. One door was damaged and shattered by bullet holes, the door shot to pieces around the lock. Inside he found the cooling body of a dark haired well built man, the blood drying and darkening on the makeshift bandage over his wound. He reported his find to John and then moved off again further into the mountain. Shortly afterwards he came to the room with the communications console and after again updating John over the still open communications channel he shut the connection and moved on. Shortly afterwards the path started to change. The floor and walls were now uneven with occasional side openings branching off. As he passed each opening he glanced down it but seeing nothing indicating which way he should go remained on the main route. Not wishing to reveal his presence Scott forbore using his own torch and made his way by the light provided which was now only occasional battery charged lamps that shed little light and left the corridor in gloom and half-light.  
  
Suddenly the silence around him was broken by a muffled booming sound that was accompanied by a weak vibration through the walls of the tunnel. Hurrying forwards he came to a fork in the passage. Both tunnels in the fork were as wide as each other. As he hesitated to consider which way to go a billowing cloud of acrid smoke combined with gritty dust rolled out of the right hand passage and enveloped him completely, reducing the already low level of visibility to almost nothing. Struggling not to cough and choke from the irritants invading his respiratory system Scott turned to go down the right hand passage to investigate the source of the dust cloud. He had only taken a couple of steps before the muffled retort of a gunshot reached his ears followed by the sounds of someone running and stumbling up the passage towards him. Reaching out with his left hand Scott used the wall of the passage to guide himself backwards to the fork in the tunnels. Backing around into the left hand fork he crouched in the darkness, covering his nose and mouth with his arm to aid his breathing and conceal his presence from the oncoming person. The steps drew closer and then passed the mouth of the tunnel where he was hidden and turned away up the tunnel from which he had already come. As soon as the stranger had passed him Scott jumped out, grabbed the fleeing form around the shoulders and neck with his left arm and forced it face first against the wall of the tunnel. Holding the muzzle of his gun against the ribs of his struggling captive Scott leaned forward and spoke softly and menacingly.  
  
"Carry on struggling like that and you may just end up getting yourself shot. Now, where is Officer Vintmore?"  
  
Instantly the person he was holding stopped struggling and relaxed in his grip. The answer came back in a voice that was strained and anxious.  
  
"I AM Officer Vintmore so if you're the cavalry the bad guy's right behind me."  
  
Surprised Scott immediately loosened his grip and stepped backwards. Slowly the figure turned towards him and he saw the white, strained face of the Search and Rescue Officer. She stood and looked at him for a moment and then her face broke into a tired grin.  
  
"Well, International Rescue. You sure are a sight for sore eyes. What are you doing here? I expected you to send in the Mounties, not come yourself"  
  
"When we got your message we didn't reckon they'd have enough time to get here to help so we came ourselves. Besides" he added with a smile "we were in the area already so to speak so it wasn't too far out of our way."  
  
"Glad you could make it."  
  
She took a step forward but then stopped, closing her eyes and swaying slightly on her feet. Scott reached out immediately and steadied her with a hand on her shoulder.  
  
"Are you OK?" he asked, his eyes showing his concern. Her eyes opened and, although at first a little dazed and unfocused, quickly cleared and met his.  
  
"I'll live." She straightened her shoulders as best she could and took a step back towards the right hand tunnel. "Come on, we'd better go and get him then we can get out of here."  
  
"Hold it" Scott's hand shot out and grabbed her arm "you're not going anywhere except out of here with me."  
  
"But what about.."  
  
"I came to get you out of here. You've already been kidnapped and beaten because of International Rescue. I'm not going to let any other harm come to you. Once you're safe I'll come back and deal with the other guy."  
  
Janet Vintmore hesitated for a moment, reluctant to allow any chance of Dave escaping capture. Scott's hold on her arm tightened  
  
"I'm not letting you go back down that tunnel. Now come on!"  
  
Reluctantly Janet Vintmore nodded and moved off with him towards the entrance of the cave system. The smoke and dust from the tunnel was still all around them and the visibility still so reduced that they stumbled along the uneven passageway at times steadying themselves against the walls when they nearly lost their footing.  
  
"What happened down there?" asked Scott after a short distance, "Where did all this smoke and dust come from?"  
  
"I found a room full of stun grenades and tear gas as well as some old crates of explosives that I guess were left over from when this was a working mine. I took a couple of the grenades and some of the tear gas in case I needed them to create a diversion if things got too sticky. Unfortunately Dave trapped me in the room."  
  
"Dave?"  
  
"One of the hoodlums who brought me here. The other one's Mike. He's in one of the rooms down here somewhere but he's in a bad way - I doubt that he'll survive. I shot him when they broke into my home and grabbed me."  
  
"Yeah" replied Scott grimly "I found him. He's dead."  
  
"Oh." She was silent for a minute. "Ah well, I guess I'll have to sort that out when I get back home. Anyway, when his buddy cornered me I used one of the grenades to cause a diversion to get past him."  
  
A dry chuckle came from Scott. "Some diversion. It felt like you brought the house down."  
  
"Yeah, well you're not too far wrong. I think the grenade set off something else because there was an almighty bang and the whole room started caving in."  
  
"It sounds like you were lucky to escape. What about Dave? Was he hurt?"  
  
"I don't think so. I dived out the door and scooted up the passageway. I heard him yelling after me and letting off a few shots so he at least survived the initial explosion. I guess."  
  
She was interrupted as Scott stopped abruptly, forcing her to stop by putting an arm out across her path.  
  
"Shhh." His whisper was low and sharp, "someone's ahead of us."  
  
Standing still in the near darkness they could hear the scrunching noise of feet on the roughened ground and a subdued cough.  
  
"Do you know if these caves loop around? Could he have got ahead of us?" Scott questioned  
  
"No idea. I was too busy trying not to get lost when I came this way the first time to stop to make a map."  
  
"Stay here and keep quiet. I'll deal with this."  
  
Janet Vintmore opened her mouth to protest but Scott was already gone. Wearily she leaned back against the passage wall to try to catch her breath and regain a little strength.  
  
Scott made his way up the passageway as quietly as he could. As he rounded a slight bend in the passage he was suddenly illuminated by a bright light and raised his arm in front of his face.  
  
"Hold it right there mister"  
  
The voice came at him from the blinding light before him, followed almost immediately by another voice.  
  
"Scott!"  
  
"Virgil! Gordon! Am I glad to see you. Where's Alan?"  
  
"We left him up nearer the entrance in case anyone showed up while we were coming after you." Virgil replied. "We didn't know if there was more than one way out of here and thought it would be best to stop anyone coming at us from behind. What's going on? Have you found her?"  
  
"Yeah. She's just back down the tunnel. The guy who kidnapped her is still around somewhere so we need to get her to safety and then get hold of him if we can so we can hand him over to the authorities."  
  
Together the three brothers turned and went back down the tunnel to where Scott had left the search and rescue officer. They were just nearing the spot where Scott expected to find her when all three of them were caught in the powerful beam of a high power torch.  
  
"Well, well, well, International Rescue have come for their own. How surprising."  
  
The mocking voice came to them from the darkness and was followed by the ominous sound of a gun being prepared to fire. Virgil's torchlight cut through the gloom to reveal the semi-conscious figure of Janet Vintmore being held by a tall, dark-haired man. The man's free hand was holding a gun against Janet Vintmore's head.  
  
"As you can see I have your friend safe and sound. Now, if you want her to remain alive I suggest you drop your weapons right where you stand and back away nice and slowly."  
  
"No way mister" Scott growled, "Let her go right now. You're outnumbered three to one - you haven't got a hope"  
  
"Don't try to fool me. You're International Rescue. Every one knows you save lives, you don't kill. However I'm a different matter, so if you don't want your organization to be one man short you'd better do as I say. Now!"  
  
As he barked the last command out the increased tension in his grip roused his captive. Her head came up and her eyes opened fully before flinching in the bright light of Virgil's torch. Taking in the situation quickly she moved her hand to her pocket and found the item residing there. Looking over at the International Rescue men before her she found Scott's face and eyes. Seeing she had his attention she flicked her eyes down towards her pocket where her hand slightly withdrew to reveal it's contents, then she gave an imperceptible nod backwards behind herself and her captor.  
  
Scott's eyes widened as he realised what she intended to do before he quickly looked away to distract Dave's attention.  
  
Holding his hands up in front of him to indicate surrender he took a small step forward.  
  
"Alright mister, you win."  
  
"Scott, what are you doing?"  
  
"What the.?"  
  
His brother's were astounded by his actions and looked at him in shock. Unnerved by the step forward Dave took the gun off the officer and pointed it at Scott. Instantly his captive elbowed him in the stomach, withdrew her hand from her pocket, threw something over her shoulder and then lurched sideward into her captor. As soon as she had started moving Scott turned on his brothers and flung himself against them.  
  
"GET DOWN"  
  
As Scott hit the floor with his brothers he heard the sharp crack of a gunshot followed an instant later by a bright flash and an explosion so loud that his whole body vibrated with the noise and he was completely deafened. Disentangling himself from his brothers and staggering to his feet Scott turned back to where he had last seen Janet Vintmore and Dave. In the gloom of the partial illumination offered by the lamps Scott could make out the shape of the two of them struggling on the floor a short distance away. Dave was sitting on top of Janet and was repeatedly banging her head off the floor.  
  
Lurching forwards Scott launched himself at the man and pushed him away from the prone officer, landing with him on the floor. Holding onto Dave's clothing Scott started to rise to his feet, bringing his captive with him but let go with a gasp as a handful of dust and dirt was thrown into his eyes. A punch to his solar plexus caused him to double over as all the wind was knocked from his body and a follow through chop to his neck dropped him to his hands and knees. Desperate to protect himself from another blow that he felt was sure to come and fighting against the black borders that crowded in around the edges of his vision Scott gathered all of his strength and swept his arm out just above the floor. The momentum as it hit Dave's ankles swept his feet off the floor and the tall man fell sideways over Scott and the top part of his body landed at Scott's side, his legs remaining lying over Scott's back. There was an audible snap as his head met the floor at some speed and bent sideways at an unnatural angle.  
  
For a moment Scott remained where he was, breathing slowly and painfully, as his eyesight returned to normal. He became aware of the weight of Dave's legs being lifted from his back and then a hand touched his shoulder.  
  
"Scott. Are you OK?"  
  
Turning his head sideways Scott found Gordon squatting down beside him, regarding him with worried eyes. Nodding his head Scott drew a final deep breath and then pushed himself to his feet. Gordon had moved to Dave's side and was checking for a pulse.  
  
"Is he dead?"  
  
"Yep. Looks like a broken neck from the angle." Gordon confirmed.  
  
"I thought so. I heard something snap as he landed. We'll have to let the authorities know about both of them so they can be collected." Brushing his fingers through his hair he turned and walked over to the other two still forms in the tunnel, Gordon at his heels.  
  
"Virgil, how is she?"  
  
Virgil was sitting back on his heels just staring at the face of Officer Vintmore and did not at first appear to have heard his brother.  
  
"Virgil!"  
  
Shaking his head as if coming out of a daze Virgil looked up at his brothers.  
  
"Gee Scott, it's uncanny. She's the spitting image of Jane just like you said. It's no wonder you thought it was her. I'd never know the difference in a month of Sundays."  
  
"Yeah, I know. How is she?"  
  
"Not too bad I don't think Scott but it's hard to tell in this light. She's unconscious but breathing normally and her pulse is strong. She got several bad blows to her head when that guy was beating her head off the floor. I guess she might have a concussion but it's impossible to tell here. We need to get her back to Thunderbird Two."  
  
"Let's go then."  
  
Leaning forward Virgil gently put his right arm under the officer's knees and his left arm under her arm and around her shoulders. Taking up her weight he stood up, shifted her gently so that her head rested against his chest and then indicated to the way out with his head.  
  
"Off you go guys, lead the way. I'll bring Janet."  
  
Quickly the three of them set off up the tunnel. At the entrance they met Alan, anxiously keeping his eyes open for anyone leaving or attempting to enter the mines. The journey back to the clearing where they had left the Thunderbird machines took only a few minutes and soon they were standing in the medical bay of Thunderbird Two, looking down on the pale, unconscious face of Janet Vintmore as she lay in one of the medical cots. Gordon had checked her over as best he could. Her rib cage was badly bruised and discoloured and at least three of the ribs were broken or cracked. Her face was still bruised from the beating she had received a few days previously but the bruises were starting to change in colour as they healed. There were a few more recent bruises in evidence, obviously acquired during the fight at her home but these did not appear too serious. The main concerns were two swellings on her skull - one at the back where she had been beaten against the floor, and another on the side of the head where the skin had been broken. This appeared older as it was surrounded by dried blood but the Tracy brothers were concerned as two head wounds in quick succession could cause complications. The wounds had been washed and bound with bandages to cushion the skull. Now they had to decide where to take her.  
  
"I'll go and call base and tell Dad that we've got her safe," said Scott. "I guess we'll be taking her back to a hospital in Rutland. Then I'll call someone to come collect the thugs who did this to her." He turned to leave for Thunderbird One. Tearing his eyes away from the officer Virgil turned to follow him.  
  
"I'll go get started up front. Are you guys coming?"  
  
"I'll stay here and keep an eye on her until we get to the hospital." Alan volunteered. "Gordon, why don't you go up front?"  
  
With a nod of his head Gordon took a step to follow his brother back to the flight deck of the large Thunderbird machine but then froze in shock as a faint whisper reached his ears from the cot. Looking up he saw both Scott and Virgil had stopped and had turned in disbelief towards the medical bay. Whirling he turned and saw that the eyes of Janet Vintmore were open, clear and fixed on his youngest brother. The voice came again, weak but clear.  
  
"Alan....Tin-Tin..save Tin-Tin...ship...sinking. Find Tin-Tin."  
  
Then the eyes lost focus, the eyelids flickered and slid closed.  
  
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^  
  
Disclaimer: The Thunderbirds characters are owned by someone other than me although Jane Tracy is, I believe, my invention.  
  
I intend only to borrow them and will return them in one piece. 


	5. Episode Five The missing past

Episode Five :- The missing past.  
  
Jeff Tracy looked up from the file of papers he was reading through and looked at the still form on the bed before him. As it had when he had first seen her being carried in from Thunderbird Two, his stomach seemed to turn over on itself in dread. To Jeff Tracy's mind there was not one person lying on the bed, but three.  
  
Firstly this person was Janet Vintmore, from Vermont. A stranger to him but someone who had suffered at the hands of his enemies in lieu of International Rescue and who had done what she could to protect and help his organisation with no thought of gain for herself. For that reason alone she deserved his gratitude and his help.  
  
Secondly she was his supposedly dead daughter, Jane Tracy. As his sons had already discovered, she really was identical to Jane and as he watched her face for signs of waking her was reminded of all the times he had stood by his daughter's bed and watched her as she slept - as he had done with all of his children over the years.  
  
Finally, he saw his wife, Lucille Tracy. Not exact this time, but as Jane Tracy closely resembled her mother, so too this person closely resembled Lucille. Jeff's head whirled in doubt and indecision. Had he been right to tell his sons to bring her here?  
  
She had not moved since she had been brought in from Thunderbird Two, had her wounds tended and then been put to bed in the sick room. Her bruised and broken ribs had been re-wrapped and around her head was a large bandage that was itself partially obscured by the locks of deep auburn hair that flowed over it. Her face was gradually recovering its colour, however, and did not look as pale as it had when he had first seen her.  
  
Brains had been confident that there was no severe damage done and hospitalisation was unnecessary. However, that had been a number of hours ago and Jeff was growing uneasy at the continued unconsciousness of the Search and Rescue officer. He had endured nearly six years of grief after the presumed death of his only daughter. Now, out of the blue as an unlooked-for miracle, there seemed to be every indication that this young woman lying before him may be none other than that very same daughter. If that was the case he did not want to risk losing her again.  
  
Shaking his head he returned to the report in front of him. Agent number 65 had come through in the last two hours with the report that he had requested. It made interesting reading. Dr Bill Johnson at the Vintmore Memorial Hospital had not been at all willing to release any information concerning Janet Vintmore until he was told that she had been abducted after previously having been set upon and beaten. Once he had contacted his brother and confirmed that she was missing he was keen to help in whatever way he could.  
  
Janet Vintmore had been his patient after she was brought into the hospital suffering from multiple injuries including head, leg and arm injuries. Most of the injuries were none life threatening and were treated and healed naturally. However, the head injury was not so simple. She had been deeply unconscious when she reached the hospital, could not breathe unassisted and had already technically 'died' twice on the way to the hospital but had been brought back by the emergency personnel who had transported her. Brain damage had been a major consideration at the time but after automatic breathing had returned it was not possible to do any assessment on this until after consciousness was regained. This did not happen for three days. When Janet Vintmore awoke she had no knowledge of where or who she was. She did not remember her name or anything about her former life, family or history.  
  
Attempts to identify her were unsuccessful. No-one answering her description had been reported missing to any of the local missing persons agencies and the only means of identification on her when she was found was a simple wrist bracelet engraved with her first name, Janet. In the weeks that followed as she recovered from her physical injuries her memory did not return and rather than use the traditional and over used anonymous surname of 'Doe', she adopted the name of the hospital as her surname and became Janet Vintmore.  
  
She had been a patient of the hospital for about three months. During the last two weeks of her treatment she had made herself useful about the department where Dr Johnson worked, helping the often heavily overworked staff with light menial duties and paperwork filing that she could do for them. At the end of her treatment she had been facing the prospect of leaving the hospital to go into a world with no past, little prospect of obtaining a future and no immediate means of supporting herself. However, Dr Johnson was unwilling to abandon his patient to such a fate. Knowing that his brother in Vermont was short of administration staff he had recommended Janet to him. It appeared that once Janet had joined the Search and Rescue group she had developed a deep yearning to be involved in the group and within weeks had joined them as a full member.  
  
Agent 65 had also done as much background investigation as he could into how the person now known as Janet Vintmore had come to be admitted to the Vintmore Memorial Hospital. She had been brought to the hospital from the main goods shipyard of New York where she had been found badly hurt, in the hold of one of the cargo ships. Sailors from the ship said they had seen her fall into the hold from a crane winch that had been loading goods onto the ship. Two other men were seen nearby who might have been chasing her prior to the accident but as soon as she fell they had melted into the background and disappeared. Attempts by the police to locate them were unsuccessful, as were any attempts to learn how she had come to be in the shipyard in the first place. The trail had come to a dead end.  
  
To Jeff Tracy, however, one very important piece of information held the centre of his attention. The person now known as Janet Vintmore had fallen from the crane in the New York shipyard two days after a ship had sunk in the Caribbean in somewhat mysterious circumstances. Most of the passengers on that ship had been rescued from lifeboats, Tin-Tin Kyrano among them. But nearly eighty passengers had never been found and were presumed dead. Jane Tracy had been included in their number.  
  
The door of the sick room slid open and Scott entered the room. Moving quietly to the side of the bed he looked across at his father.  
  
"No change yet Father?"  
  
"No Scott, no change. We just have to wait."  
  
"Grandma says that dinner is nearly ready."  
  
"Thanks Scott but I don't think I want any just now"  
  
The young man eyed his father with concern. He looked drained and tired and careworn.  
  
"Father you've been here all day. You need a break. How about if I take over?"  
  
"No Scott, I need to be here when she wakes up. We don't know...."  
  
He stopped and moved forward in his chair as a movement from the bed caught his eye. The head had moved slightly on the pillow and a sudden grimace crossed the pale face as they watched.  
  
Scott took a step forward and resting his left hand on the bed leaned over the form of the woman beneath him.  
  
"Jane" he called softly, "Jane, can you hear me?"  
  
The darkness around her gradually released her from its hold as awareness returned. She could hear voices in the void but could not locate them and could not decipher what they were saying. Next she became aware of the warmth of a bed beneath her and a light cover over her. Relaxation and peace filled her and she did not want to move from the comfort she felt but as her body gradually wakened from the sleep that had claimed it for so long she became aware of a dull headache in the back of her skull. She turned her head to the right slightly to find a different position for her head but immediately wished that she hadn't as the pain spiked suddenly and the dull ache escalated to a painful throbbing that echoed through her skull. There was movement nearby and the bed moved slightly as someone leant on it.  
  
"Jane, Jane, can you hear me?"  
  
The disembodied voice seemed familiar somehow but she could not immediately place it. Struggling against the lethargy that wished to keep her eyes closed she was aware of the ambient background changing from black to grey to white as light began to filter through her slowly opening eyelids.  
  
"That's it Jane, open your eyes. Look at us."  
  
As her eyelids opened fully the sudden light of the room where she lay blinded her momentarily. Squeezing her eyes shut again against the light she moved her right hand up to cover her face but the hand was caught and held by whoever was above her. The grip was firm and warm and exuded strength and support.  
  
"No Jane, come on, wake up honey. Try again. Open your eyes and look at me."  
  
The voice was definitely familiar and sat in her mind enticing her to recognise it and respond. Who was talking to her? Trying again she prepared herself for the light change and forced her eyelids open once more. The room was white and the impression was somewhat that of a hospital - an impression underlined by the smell of antiseptic and chemicals that now penetrated her fuzzy senses. Over her head hovered a dark blur which, as she concentrated on it, resolved itself into a head of dark hair and a face with eyes of bright blue that gazed down at her. The face appeared clouded by ....concern?  
  
"Jane, can you hear me?"  
  
She nodded slightly in reply.  
  
"Do you know me?" The young man stared into her eyes, as if willing the information to her. She looked back, taking in his eyes, eyebrows, hair, chin...taking in everything she could to try to place the face that was so familiar and yet....unknown.  
  
"I....I...I don't know."  
  
The young man's face fell in disappointment as he turned and looked to his right. She followed his gaze. There, on her left side was another face. An older face, with grizzled, greying hair and eyebrows, care-worn and tired..and sad. Puzzled she frowned for a moment, trying to retrieve the memory that she knew was there. Then it was as if a wall fell in her mind and the hidden knowledge fell into place.  
  
"Father"  
  
The older man jumped and then nodded wordlessly as his eyes glistened with tears that soon overflowed and ran down his cheeks. Raising her left hand to his cheek she clumsily tried to wipe the tears away with the backs of her fingers but could not co-ordinate the movement and her hand waved in front of her fathers face. His hands came up and grasped her smaller hand in both of his and he brushed the knuckles with his lips, still unable to formulate any words.  
  
"Father... what's.. wrong?"  
  
Raising his eyes to look at his daughter Jeff managed a watery smile and responded with a voice thick with emotion.  
  
"Nothing's wrong honey, nothing's wrong" then closing his eyes he breathed "Thank you God, thank you."  
  
After watching her father for another few seconds Jane turned back to the younger man who was looking at her again.  
  
"Scott. Your name is Scott." The revelation of his name came as a shock to her as well as to him. How could she have forgotten?  
  
"Sure kid, I'm Scott." He was smiling from relief now and dimples were showing in both cheeks. He sat down on the side of the bed, still holding her hand in his. "How do you feel?"  
  
His question reminded her of the throbbing in her skull.  
  
"Like someone's using a jack hammer on the inside of my head." She said as she closed her eyes to fight the pain. "What happened?"  
  
There was a momentary silence that Jeff broke with a question in return.  
  
"What do you remember?"  
  
Jane lay still for a few minutes, casting her mind back to the last thing she could remember then her eyes abruptly snapped open.  
  
"Tin-Tin!" she exclaimed, her eyes wide with concern "Where's Tin-Tin? She was hurt. Is she OK? Did they find her?"  
  
She struggled to try to sit up but was immediately restrained by a hand from her father and brother on each of her shoulders.  
  
"Lie still Jane, you've had a couple of bad knocks to the back of your head and you need to lie quiet for a while."  
  
"But what about Tin-Tin? She was hurt, we put her in a life boat but she needs ..."  
  
"It's okay, it's okay. Tin-Tin's fine, just fine. Now relax."  
  
She was gently eased back against the pillows. Jeff cupped his daughter's chin in his palm and looked into her face  
  
"Honey, Tin-Tin is safe and perfectly fine. There's no need to worry. Now lie still and rest. We need to get you well now and to do that you need to rest."  
  
Jane looked back into her father's face. Her eyelids were growing heavier and it was becoming more difficult to keep them open. She certainly felt sleepy all of a sudden. Still fighting her body she fought to stay conscious  
  
"Bu' Tin-Tin's 'kay?" Her voice was becoming slurred as sleep crept over her, "safe?"  
  
"Yes honey" Jeff stroked her face with his hand, drinking in the sight of his daughter whom he had thought dead, restored to him. "She's fine. Now, sleep. We'll be back to see you later."  
  
Closing her eyes she gave into the drowsiness that was creeping up on her. In less than a minute her slow, steady breathing told Scott and Jeff that she was asleep.  
  
Jeff and Scott looked at each other over the bed, their eyes mirroring their concern. Scott broke the silence first.  
  
"She can't remember. She can't remember a thing."  
  
Jeff nodded to the door.  
  
"Let's go get some dinner Scott and leave her to sleep. I want to talk to Brains and see what he thinks. There's something about all this I don't understand."  
  
The two men got up and walked to the door. When they got there they both stopped automatically and turned back to look at the sleeping figure.  
  
"Welcome home Jane"  
  
Scott's voice was barely audible. Jeff reached out and laid his arm across his son's shoulders, turned with him and left the room.  
  
"But I just don't get it Brains" Alan's voice rose in exasperation "If Jane couldn't remember us for six years because of brain damage caused by lack of oxygen, how come she's remembered us now? That sort of brain damage is permanent isn't it?"  
  
"E-e-exactly, uh, Alan. It is."  
  
Brains' soft voice filled the quiet dining room as the rest of the Tracy family listened to his reply.  
  
"B-b-but the, uh, the brain damage that caused your, uh, sister to f-f- forget her identity may, uh, may not have been caused by the, uh, lack of o- o-oxygen."  
  
"So what would it have been caused by Brains?" Jeff asked the question that was in all of their minds.  
  
The Tracy family were just finishing their meal. The remainder of the household had been excited and pleased when they heard that Jane had recovered consciousness long enough to recognise and speak to both Jeff and Scott. Virgil, Gordon and Alan had wanted to go to see her straight away and Jeff had nearly had to physically restrain them to keep them from going and disturbing their sleeping sister.  
  
Over their meal Jeff had told them all of the information gained by Agent 65. They had spent the meal time discussing all the possibilities they could think of to try to account for how Jane had come to be in New York harbour two days after she was missing, presumed dead in the Caribbean. Now they were considering why Jane did not seem to be able to remember anything later than the sinking of the ship that she and Tin-Tin had been on when she had been 'lost'. "W-w-well M-M-Mr Tracy, the report from the, uh, hospital showed that Jane had, uh, a severe head injury. T-that in itself could account for the, ah, amnesia. A-a-amnesia often is corrected when the, ah, patient is put in familiar, ah, surroundings but, ah, your daughter was isolated. She had no- one around her to remind her of her past when she, uh, woke up."  
  
"But she didn't recognise Scott when she saw him at the mine rescue Brains" Gordon chipped in, "why not?"  
  
"I-I-it's hard to tell Gordon, the m-m-mind is a very complex thing. H-h- however in a way she did recognise him."  
  
"She did?" Scott looked at Brains in surprise - "well I sure as heck didn't notice it"  
  
"Oh but you did Scott" Brains replied quietly, turning his gaze on the eldest Tracy brother "You yourself told us that, uh, Jane brought you a cup of coffee made e-exactly the way you like it. That, ah, indicates that some small measure of, uh, recognition was there although Jane herself was not even aware of it."  
  
The family sat silently for a minute, absorbing what had just been said. Scott felt slightly sick at the thought that he could have brought his sister home two weeks ago and prevented her from being attacked a second time.  
  
"So why does she remember us now Brains?" said Alan again.  
  
"W-w-well Alan, the other thing that often prompts a-a-amnesiacs to remember, p-particularly after a head injury is, uh, another injury of the same sort."  
  
"The head banging!"  
  
Scott's exclamation made it out of his mouth just as the penny was dropping in the minds of the rest of his family.  
  
"Y-y-yes Scott." Brains confirmed "The d-d-damage d-d-done when her assailant knocked her head on the, uh, floor would have been very close to the, uh, site of her previous head injury. T-t-that must have j-j-just been enough to release her m-m-memory."  
  
"So why doesn't Jane remember what's happened in the last six years?"  
  
Brains didn't get a chance to answer Scott's question before a voice came from the doorway.  
  
"What do you mean 'the last six years'?"  
  
Everyone at the table looked around in astonishment to see Jane Tracy leaning against the doorjamb, wrapped in a blanket and watching them with slightly dazed and confused eyes.  
  
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^  
  
Disclaimer: The Thunderbirds characters are owned by someone other than me although Jane Tracy is, I believe, my invention.  
  
I intend only to borrow them and will return them in one piece. 


	6. Episode Six Faces from the Past

Episode Six :- Faces from the past.  
  
Everyone at the table looked around in astonishment to see Jane Tracy leaning against the doorjamb, wrapped in a blanket and watching them with slightly dazed and confused eyes.  
  
Before any of them could react Jane pushed herself off from the frame and took a step into the room.  
  
"What do you mean 'the last six years'?" she repeated "What are you talking about?"  
  
Most of the family were standing now, distressed that the unpalatable truth had been revealed in such a manner.  
  
"What are you doing out of bed? You should be resting."  
  
Jeff strode towards his daughter and took her by the arm, meaning to lead her back to the sick room. Jane, however, was having none of it and shook off his hand.  
  
"No Dad. I'm not going anywhere, not 'till I find out what's going on around here."  
  
"Young lady, you'll do as."  
  
"No Dad." Her voice was quiet but very firm. She looked her father full into the face, her eyes steady and unflinching now. "Please. I have to know."  
  
There was silence as the two stood staring at each other, Jeff concerned and anxious, Jane calm and determined. As with several of his children Jane had inherited a streak of his own stubbornness. However, she had also inherited her mother's ability to remain calm, controlled and unmoved on the few occasions when that stubbornness had brought her head to head with her father. It was a trait that he knew he could not fight and win. With a sigh Jeff shook his head.  
  
"Alright. But only a short while"  
  
Accepting the permission to continue Jane turned back to the rest of her family who were watching silently. She eyed them one at a time. Each of them returned her gaze, unsure what to do or say. Her gaze fell on Tin-Tin and stopped there.  
  
"Tin-Tin!"  
  
Crossing the space between them with slightly unsteady steps, she stood in front of her friend and reached out with both hands to grasp Tin-Tins arms. The blanket fell from around her shoulders, revealing the pyjamas she had been dressed in after her wounds had been inspected and bandaged. Holding tightly onto Tin-Tin's arms Jane's gaze travelled all over Tin-Tin's face, inspecting it closely.  
  
"You're alright?"  
  
Unsure how to answer Tin-Tin only nodded, watching her friend with concern as Jane's gaze travelled up her face towards her hair line. With a sudden intake of breath Jane let go of one arm and reached up to gently brush Tin- Tin's hair away from her face. On the honey coloured skin of the young Eurasian woman, an inch below the hair-line was the thin, white line of a scar.  
  
Jane's face blanched and her hand began to tremble as the truth sank in. Gordon, from his position on one side of Tin-Tin, quickly retrieved the blanket and wrapped it around his sister's shoulders.  
  
"Come on Jane, sit down here."  
  
Pulling out his chair he turned and gently lowered his now trembling sister  
  
into it and knelt down in front of her, rubbing her wrists between his hands and looking up into her face that was still locked in Tin-Tin's direction.  
  
"Here, give her this."  
  
Scott reached over and gave Gordon a glass of water he had poured from the jug on the table. Pushing it into his sister's hands Gordon closed his hands around hers on the glass.  
  
"Jane, drink this." he said encouragingly and pushed her hands up towards her face. The movement gained her attention and she turned towards him. For her moment her face was blank and non-registering then, as the shock passed her attention returned and she focused first on her brother and then on the drink in her hands. Wordlessly she raised the glass to her lips and sipped. Closing her eyes momentarily she shuddered once and then relaxed.  
  
"Jane? Honey?"  
  
Jeff's voice broke the silence. He was standing behind Gordon anxiously watching his daughter. At his voice she opened her eyes and looked around the group clustered around her chair. Virgil was standing directly behind her, massaging her shoulders with his large gentle hands.  
  
"Sorry guys, I guess I didn't take that too well. I guess I got my answer." she added in a low voice. "Six years is a hell of a long time to lose." Shaking herself slightly she forced a smile to her face and looked around "So, what's been going on around here for the last six years that I can't remember?"  
  
Before anyone could reply Kyrano stepped forward from the far side of the table. He bowed deferentially towards Jane.  
  
"Miss Jane, I have to thank you."  
  
Jane looked up at the old friend of her father.  
  
"Kyrano? It is a pleasure to see you but I don't know what you mean."  
  
"I mean Miss Jane that, were it not for your actions six years ago, it is likely that my daughter would never have survived the sinking of the 'Caribbean Star'. For those actions I thank you and I am forever in your debt."  
  
"Yeah sis. Thanks." Alan added his thanks to those of Kyrano as he tightened his arm around Tin-Tin's shoulders.  
  
Watching the two of them together Jane smiled widely.  
  
"No problem Kyrano. It was a pleasure. I'm sure glad to see Tin-Tin recovered okay." A mischievous glint came into her eyes. " I guess there have been a few.developments. over the years huh?"  
  
The atmosphere relaxed markedly as Alan and Tin-Tin blushed and Scott, Gordon and Jeff chuckled aloud.  
  
"I guess six years away haven't damaged Jane's perceptions at all little bro'. Two minutes in the room with you two and she's already got you pegged."  
  
"Six years away?" The words stopped the merriment dead. "You mean I've not been here?" Jane looked around at her family. "So where have I been?" Her eyes narrowing suspiciously she looked more carefully around the ring of faces surrounding her. "and where's John? Is he away star gazing somewhere?"  
  
Grandma Tracy, who had been standing watching the developments in silence up till now made her way to Jeff's elbow.  
  
"Six years is a long time to talk about all in one go and I'm not that sure that you're up to this young lady."  
  
As Jane opened her mouth to interrupt Grandma held up her hand for silence.  
  
"I know you're keen to catch up on things but look at you child. You're as pale as a ghost and you can hardly keep your hands from shaking you're that weak. I dare say you've not had a decent meal in three days."  
  
Jeff and his sons looked at Jane. Grandma was right. Although naturally pale skinned and not amenable to tanning she used to have a healthy glow of vitality and life. Now her skin was dull and washed out and there were dark shadows under her eyes. Jane herself was aware that she still had a thumping headache and felt somewhat shaky.  
  
"But Grandma.." Jane began  
  
"Hear me out child. You need to eat something before you go back to bed to give your body energy to heal. Jeff," turning to her son she eyed him fiercely "Why don't you and the others take Jane into the lounge and let her say hello to John? Kyrano and I will be through shortly with some soup and sandwiches for her - that'll be more than enough to be going on with. Then while she's eating you can give her the brief details of what's been going on around here since she left then she can go to bed. There'll be plenty of time for more news tomorrow."  
  
Jeff nodded, recognising this as a sensible solution.  
  
"OK mother." Turning to his daughter he added "Let's go and see John."  
  
In the lounge Jane stood in the middle of the floor looking in astonishment at the portraits of her brothers hanging on the wall. Tin-Tin had brought her a house-coat to wear in preference to the blanket. Jeff was clearing the desk in preparation for the food that would soon be brought through for her.  
  
"International Rescue" she whispered, "you got it going."  
  
"Yes" Jeff sighed "I'm just sorry that we weren't up and running when the 'Caribbean Star' went down. If we had been the last few years would have been mighty different."  
  
"Where's John?" asked Jane expectantly, looking around the lounge.  
  
Jeff eyed her keenly. "How much do you remember about the set-up plans?"  
  
Jane thought for a moment.  
  
"We'd built Thunderbirds One and Two and Four as well as several other smaller bits of equipment." Closing her eyes in concentration she thought further. "Thunderbird Three was nearly complete, leaving only..." Her eyes popped open "the space station - Thunderbird Five."  
  
Scott nodded eagerly. "That's right, you remember. We took the larger sections of TB5 into space over the period of a week about two months after you die..er, disappeared."  
  
"Scott!" Jeff's voice was sharp and his exclamation exploded like a gunshot but it was too late, the slip had been made.  
  
"After I what?" Jane gaped at her eldest brother, not sure that she believed what she had heard.  
  
Scott coloured and floundered, not knowing what to say.  
  
"Jane"  
  
The soft voice of Virgil broke the silence. Jane turned to where he stood beside her and was shocked to see that although there was a crooked smile on his face there were tears standing in his eyes. Virgil had been silent since Jane had appeared in the dining room although he had kept as close as he could to his twin since Gordon had lowered her into the chair. Now she could see deep emotions playing across his face as he looked at her.  
  
"When we heard the news it was already too late. The ship had sunk hours before and the survivors were already on their way to nearby ports. We all went looking for you. We split up and took different ports in the hope that one of us would be there when you were brought in."  
  
He stopped, his voice choked and the tears started to overflow as the emotion he felt began to overwhelm him.  
  
"But you never were." His voice rose in tone and cracked as a sob forced its way past his mouth, his lips twisting as he vainly tried to smile at the same time that he wept. Tears were now obvious in the eyes of the others as the open emotions displayed by Virgil stuck sympathetic chords in their hearts. Virgil took a deep breath and continued.  
  
"Tin-Tin was already in hospital when Dad got to Miami and over the next week while she recovered we did everything we could to find you. Dad even called in some old favours so we could join the search and rescue teams scouring the area where the ship went down. When we weren't doing that we flew between the Florida peninsula and the main islands of the West Indies, going backwards and forwards between the ports, hoping against hope that by some miracle you would be found.  
  
He paused again and closed his eyes before he continued, trying to will away the images that came to mind.  
  
"The days went on and gradually the bodies began to be washed up around the coasts and we started going to the morgues thinking that was the most likely place to find you" tears were flooding down his cheeks now "but we never did."  
  
He looked his sister straight in the eyes and gripped her by her shoulders.  
  
"I'm sorry Jane. I'm so sorry. We gave up on you. We thought you were dead."  
  
Jane could barely see her brother through the mist of tears that filled her eyes, realising the pain that each of her family must have gone through in those dark days. Wordlessly she stepped forward into her brother's embrace and pulled him close. She was aware of movement around her and then Scott, Gordon, Jeff and Alan joined the embrace, putting their arms around the re- united twin siblings and holding them close. Finally the emotions that had been held in check since Jane had been revealed to them in the sickbay of Thunderbird Two had free reign.  
  
Virgil's body shook with sobs as he held onto Jane, his body slowly absorbing the fact that the sister that he had given up for dead was safe and enclosed in his arms once more. As his sobs quietened Jane gently levered herself away and turned to give full hugs to her other brothers and her father.  
  
"I'm so sorry." She whispered, "I'm so, so sorry. I wouldn't have put you all through this pain for the world. I'm so sorry."  
  
Holding her close Jeff murmured into her hair.  
  
"It's not your fault honey. It's not your fault. It's just the way things were. What's important now is that you're back with us."  
  
Looking around Jane noticed Brains standing off to one side, together with Tin-Tin, Grandma and Kyrano. Kyrano was carrying a tray that held a bowl of soup, a plate with a few sandwiches and a glass of orange juice. Jane held out her arms and Tin-Tin and Grandma approached and were enclosed in a tight hug. Brains held back and when Tin-Tin and Grandma pulled out of the embrace he stepped forward, holding out his hand.  
  
"W-w-welcome home Jane"  
  
He gasped in surprise as Jane took his hand and used it to pull him forwards into a hug.  
  
"Family don't shake hands Brains, you should know that by now"  
  
The words were warm and heartfelt, causing Brains to blush with pleasure at this continued acknowledgement of him as a member of this family unit. Kyrano laid the tray on Jeff's desk. As he stepped away he bowed slightly to Jane but as he straightened up he too received an embrace from the returned Tracy sibling.  
  
"Time's getting on." Grandma's voice brought them all back to the present. "Jeff, why don't you call John?"  
  
"Good idea mother."  
  
Jeff crossed to his desk and operated the switches to open communications with the space satellite.  
  
"International Rescue base calling Thunderbird Five"  
  
After a brief delay John's portrait disappeared and was replaced by the live feed picture from the orbiting space station.  
  
"Thunderbird Five to International Rescue base. Hi father, what's up?"  
  
"I've got someone here that would like to talk to you."  
  
Jeff moved away form the desk and beckoned Jane to come and sit down. As she slid into view John's jaw dropped open in shock and he gaped at his sister.  
  
"Hi John"  
  
"Jane...it really is you?"  
  
"Yeah it's me. Long time no see bro'"  
  
"You're telling me. But what are you doing up? You're hurt, why aren't you in bed?"  
  
Jane sighed. Much as she loved her family dearly, they were at times a little overprotective.  
  
"I'm OK John, really. I'm going to have some food and then go back to bed but I wondered where you were so here I am."  
  
Virgil interrupted from the side of the desk where he had perched after Jane took the chair.  
  
"You need to eat so you'd better get started before that soup gets cold. John we were going to fill Jane in on what's been going on here for the last few years while she's been away."  
  
"Talking of which" John continued "what happened to you Jane? Where did you go when the ship sank?"  
  
The room went quiet. Jane, in the middle of lifting the spoon to her mouth paused and looked up, perceiving the awkwardness of the moment. She lowered the spoon back to the plate, frowning slightly.  
  
"I don't know John" she replied quietly looking up at her brother "I don't remember."  
  
The silence that followed was broken by Tin-Tin.  
  
"What do you remember Jane? I have only been able to give sketchy details to Mr Tracy and your brothers and I was not able to remember anything after I was hurt until I woke up in the hospital. What happened?"  
  
The room was quiet as those present waited for a reply. Gordon, Alan and Tin-Tin sat on the sofa, Jeff and the others had drawn chairs up to the desk while Kyrano hovered in the background, uneasy about joining the family group. Jane sat at the desk staring into her soup. She jumped slightly as Virgil reached across and nudged her elbow to encourage her to eat. After a brief grin at him she resumed spooning the soup into her mouth, a look of concentration on her face as she struggled to recall details. After a couple of mouthfuls she put down the spoon again and began to speak.  
  
"From what I remember it was late afternoon. The 'Star' had been going slowly for about a day following engine trouble." She glanced up at Tin- Tin who nodded her head in confirmation. "Tin-Tin and I were up on deck. Most people had gone below to dress for dinner, we were waiting till the crush had gone and relaxing for a little longer before going below ourselves."  
  
She stopped and frowned slightly and absently picked up a sandwich and began to eat it while she thought. Those around her remained silent so as not to break her concentration. Swallowing she resumed  
  
"There was what felt like an explosion, deep in the ship, towards the ." she paused, mentally picturing the position of the ship and her relationship to it "stern. The ship rocked and then before we had time to move there was another explosion. We both took off and headed for the stairs to see if we could help. People were already beginning to come back up on deck so it took us a while to go against the flow."  
  
Pausing again she picked up another sandwich and absently dunked it into the remaining soup. Grandma opened her mouth to say something but Jeff silenced her with a glare and her mouth snapped shut again. After a couple of mouthfuls Jane began to speak again.  
  
"We made our way down towards the engine room as that seemed to be the direction the explosions had come from. On the way we bumped into Bill."  
  
"Bill? Who's that?" Alan's voice broke the stillness and earned him a hard poke in the ribs from Tin-Tin. "Ow! What was that for Tin-Tin, I only asked."  
  
"Shush Alan, you're distracting her." Tin-Tin mirrored the glare that Jeff was already directing at his youngest son.  
  
"Purser Bill" Jane's face held a soft smile. She looked up "Remember him Tin-Tin?"  
  
"Yes I do. He was a very polite man and very helpful and charming." Tin- Tin's voice changed a little "He told us about you before we came home from the mainland."  
  
"About me?" Jane was startled, "what about me?"  
  
"If he's the guy I'm thinking of" broke in Jeff from the side of the desk, frowning slightly "I'll tell you about that once you get to a relevant part of the story. For now carry on where you left off. You and Tin-Tin were heading for the engine room."  
  
"Yeah. Well, there were a lot of people milling around in the corridors by now and some of the stewards were trying to encourage them to go to their cabins or to the dining room until something else was known. We got to the top of a set of stairs and started down - we were about five decks down by that time - when the Captain and a bunch of the crew appeared. Things were pretty noisy and the crew had to shout to make themselves heard. Then there was an almighty explosion that threw us all over the shop. I managed to catch myself on the railing but when I got back up I saw Tin-Tin at the bottom of the stairs." Looking up she focussed on the Eurasian girl who was now paying close attention.  
  
"When we got to you there was a bad gash on your head" - she nodded towards Tin-Tin indicating that this was the wound that caused the scar on the girl's forehead "as well as what looked like the start of bad swelling and bruising on your face. You were pretty dazed and dizzy. The Captain and all of the crew were needed elsewhere so we started back upstairs together. The ship was starting to list already and before we got very far the Captain come on the ship intercom saying that we were preparing to abandon ship." She paused again and shook her head ruefully "Things started to get pretty hairy from then on."  
  
"Hairy? In what way?" Jeff asked.  
  
"Well, once the announcement was made a lot of the passengers started to panic. We were still a couple of decks down from the lowest outside deck and the passageways were filling up rapidly with people who seemed to have completely forgotten what little they ever knew of the emergency drill. It seemed to take an age to get to the outside. We were getting pushed and shoved all over the place and Tin-Tin was barely conscious by that time. I had to stop several times so she could rest. We got out eventually and made it to one of the survival boats. It was already preparing to get underway and there were several injured crewmen in the area who must have been caught in the explosions. I stayed with Tin-Tin for a while - she was totally unconscious by this time and then just as they were lifting Tin-Tin into the boat I got separated for a while. When I made it back to the station Tin-Tin was already safely away in the boat so I.."  
  
Here Jeff interrupted the narrative  
  
"What do you mean you 'got separated'?" he demanded, brows drawn together in consternation above his eyes. "Why didn't you stay with Tin-Tin? She was hurt and needed your help. If you had stayed with her and got in that boat you would have been safe and been in Miami when we got there. What the devil were you playing at girl?"  
  
The tension in the room was palpable. Jeff was pale with anger and glared at his daughter from under his eyebrows. Jane looked across at her father in confusion, bemused at the change in tone and demeanor that had come over him.  
  
"Dad, Tin-Tin was safe, she was being looked after by the crew." She explained quietly. Looking over to Tin-Tin she continued "You remember that family who were a few cabins down from us? The one with what seemed like a dozen children under twelve?"  
  
Tin-Tin nodded and smiled at the memory  
  
"Yes, they reminded me very much of you and your brothers when you were much younger - always getting up to mischief." She smiled impishly at Alan "particularly the smallest one."  
  
Jane grinned.  
  
"Exactly. Well just as they were lifting you into the boat one of the younger ones came running along the deck. He was absolutely frantic, tears all over the place, screaming and yelling. He'd got separated from the rest in the crush and heaven knows he'd never have found them again all by himself. I had to help him Dad, I couldn't just leave him to it."  
  
A stiff nod was the only acknowledgement she got from Jeff.  
  
"So I picked him up and went off to try to find the family with him. I guessed the best place to head for was the assembly area for our cabins and sure enough when I got there I found his mum trying to do a head count in the middle of all the chaos. As soon as I'd delivered him I went back to Tin-Tin but as I said, when I got there her boat was already away."  
  
Jeff sighed and relaxed slightly.  
  
"Alright. That was that time. So why didn't you join the next boat?"  
  
In what was an obvious ploy to delay replying to the question Jane took the glass of orange juice and slowly began to drink. Aware that Jeff was fretting for an answer Scott decided to get in first.  
  
"Jane, the Purser spoke to us all before we came back to the island, when it was obvious that you weren't going to turn up." He hesitated, looking into his sister's eyes to convey his understanding of her dilemma. "He said that he came across you twice after Tin-Tin had been lifted off the ship. The first time he practically ordered you to go and join a queue for one of the boats but you obviously didn't because he saw you again in more or less that same place some time later."  
  
Jane fidgeted uncomfortably and ran her finger around the top of her glass. Her family waited for her answer in silence until Jeff could stand it no more.  
  
"Well" he demanded, his voice tight and angry, "why didn't you do as you were told?"  
  
Jane sighed and put down the glass and then looked up into her father's face. Her expression was sad and withdrawn.  
  
"Dad, it was absolute bedlam on board, people were chasing their own tails in panic. I couldn't just stand by and not do anything to help." Before Jeff could interrupt she hurried on. "Everywhere I turned there were people who needed help. I just did what I could."  
  
"But why did you go back below decks after you were supposed to be abandoning ship? That's where Bill saw you" Scott hated to ask the question but he dreaded what else his father might say if the question was left to him to ask.  
  
"Below decks?" Jane frowned and stared at Scott as she tried to recall the incident. "Why did I go back below decks?" The question was more to herself than to anyone else and she put her head in her hands and began to massage her temples.  
  
"Jane, are you alright?" Virgil leaned over the desk towards her, concerned at the grimace of pain he could see on her face as she rubbed her head and then breathed a sigh of relief when her head came up.  
  
"It's okay Virgil I'm fine. I was just thinking. The memories start to get a little fuzzy about then." she reassured him with a smile and then turned back to Scott.  
  
"I went back below decks because there was an old guy frantic about his wife down in their cabin. All the panic about abandoning ship had brought on some kind of attack. He thought at first it was an asthma attack but she didn't improve with the medication and he was afraid she might be having a heart attack. He'd come top-side to try to get help but everyone was too busy to help. I went down to see what I could do. By the time I got there the medication had kicked in. She was still pretty knocked about and needed help to get out and upstairs but we were managing it alright. I vaguely remember meeting Bill on the way back. I think he stopped me to talk but the old couple wanted to get away so they just carried on going. By the time Bill was finished they were out of sight."  
  
She stopped again and stared off into space for a few seconds, her brow creased and thoughtful again. She started speaking slowly, with gaps in between the phrases as the images came back to her.  
  
"I started to go back to the deck but......there was a crewman......his buddy was hurt somewhere..........I went with him....he was one deck up so it was in the right direction..........When I got there his buddy was sitting against the far wall of a room....I remember a sudden movement behind me as this guy followed me into the room"  
  
She stopped and sat at the desk, biting her lip. Eventually she just sighed and shook her head.  
  
"I'm sorry guys, there just isn't any more. It's all a blank after that. The memories just stop."  
  
"Jane, could you describe these two crewmen?" Jane looked at Scott in surprise. His face was disturbed, almost angry and his eyes glinted with a hard, cold light. She slowly shook her head.  
  
"Only very, very, vaguely Scott. Everything's quite disjointed and odd. Why do you ask?"  
  
"Just try would you? It may help."  
  
Puzzled his sister looked at him for a moment longer and then shrugged her shoulders. "Sure, why not?"  
  
She stared at the desk for a few seconds and then closed her eyes to concentrate more thoroughly. After a minute or so of silence she opened her eyes.  
  
"I'm sorry Scott, there's really only the haziest recollection, one that I'm not even sure I'm remembering straight."  
  
"What is it?" Scott leaned forward in his seat, intense and taut.  
  
"The guy who I met first was about six foot, quite stocky. He had brown hair and.." she shuddered suddenly "brown eyes" Slightly pale now she hurried on. "The guy in the cabin was sitting down so I didn't get too good an idea of his height - although his legs seemed quite long so he may have been quite tall. He was slimmer, with very dark hair and blue eyes." She laughed thinly "In fact they looked not too dissimilar to you and Virgil so I really reckon my memory is playing games with me - I guess it was wishful thinking, it would have been good to have had you guys there at the time."  
  
There was silence for a minute then Jane looked around at her family.  
  
"So how did I get here? What should I be able to remember from then on?"  
  
Awkwardly the brothers looked at each other. Jeff was caught up in his own thoughts, his face set as hard as steel, his eyes gazing into the distance and attending to no-one so Scott broke the silence.  
  
"We don't really know what happened after that sis. We were hoping that you would be able to tell us. From what you've said I guess something must have happened while you were getting that crewman to safety. The second time the Purser saw you, you were unconscious and being carried towards the deck by two crewmen - probably the same ones you were talking about. When Bill spoke to us he confirmed that the two men who had been carrying you were included among the missing. Some lifeboats found in the area during the search were empty, others were missing entirely..." Scott's voice trailed off.  
  
"So you thought I'd been put in a boat with the crewmen and then fallen out and drowned or been lost entirely." Jane finished for him.  
  
"Yeah. It seemed the only reasonable explanation. I'm sorry."  
  
"So how did I get here?" Jane repeated the question. "When did I get here?"  
  
Before anyone could answer Grandma bustled up to the desk.  
  
"How and when you got here can wait for another time. You've had a talk and eaten some food. Now you need to sleep. The rest of your questions can be answered tomorrow." Going round to the other side of the desk she placed her hands under Jane's arm to help her stand. "Come on now, off to bed with you."  
  
"Grandma I really don't want to.."  
  
Jane started to object as her grandmother drew her to her feet but as she became vertical the room span alarmingly around her and her vision started to fade out with black spots. Grabbing the side of the desk to steady herself she felt muscular arms snake around her waist to support her and she sagged slightly against the pillar of support that appeared beside her. As her vision cleared she looked up into Virgil's face.  
  
"I reckon I agree with Grandma on this one" he said as he smiled down at her. "Come on, let's get you to bed."  
  
Not waiting for an answer but with his arm still around her waist for support he turned and led her away in the direction of the sick room.  
  
Kyrano stepped lightly to the desk, picked up the tray and left the room, Grandma following closely behind him, leaving the remainder of the family alone with their thoughts. Scott was the first to speak.  
  
" Father?"  
  
"Yes Scott"  
  
"That description of the two crewmen"  
  
"I know son, I know."  
  
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^  
  
Disclaimer: The Thunderbirds characters are owned by someone other than me, although Jane Tracy is, I believe, my invention.  
  
I intend only to borrow them and will return them in one piece. 


	7. Episode Seven Dreams Within Dreams

Episode Seven:- Dreams within dreams.  
  
As Scott entered the lounge he heard a sigh and glancing to his right he saw his sister drop the file that she had been reading onto the coffee table beside her and lean back, resting her head on the back of her chair. Walking over he paused beside her and looked down.  
  
"Looks like you could do with a break. Fancy a walk on the beach?"  
  
She looked up unsmiling  
  
"I guess so. Anything would be more productive than reading all that again."  
  
Reaching up to take the proffered hand she raised herself to her feet and followed her brother across the room and down the steps to the patio and beach. All was quiet at the poolside as they passed it, all of the other house members being engaged elsewhere in the villa.  
  
As they walked over the sand Scott eyed his younger sister. Although obviously stronger than the day before she still looked tired. She had slept late, waking only shortly before lunch, which Grandma had insisted she eat in bed, and had afterwards been allowed to rise and dress and go to the lounge. There her father and brothers had told her as much as they knew of her movements after the sinking of the "Caribbean Star" - which was precious little. None of it had been familiar to her and after a while her family had left her in the lounge, reading slowly through the file of information that had been sent to them by Agent 65. Now her thoughts were clearly elsewhere as she walked by her brother's side, her eyes looking into the distance, not noticing the island or the sea.  
  
"How're you doing kid?" Scott asked. There was a pause before any reply came.  
  
"I don't know Scott, I really don't." Jane stopped and turned towards the sea, looking out at the horizon as if seeking answers in the waves. "This is all so strange. It's like a dream somehow, well, actually more like a dream within a dream." She turned and looked up at him "Do you ever have those times when you wake up and you know you've had a really detailed, vivid dream but you just can't remember it? Like it's just on the edge of your perception but you can't touch it?"  
  
Scott nodded silently. Jane turned and continued walking along the beach.  
  
"It's like that. There's something there, I know there is. But it's just over the border. I feel like all that's needed is one thing, one fleeting image and I'll remember the whole lot." she stopped and then kicked forcefully at a pebble lying on the sand, sending it scudding away a few feet along the beach. "But I just can't remember a thing!" The words were forceful and filled with frustration. "Not one darned thing! I must have read that file a dozen times since you all left, searching, hoping that something will be familiar, that I'll remember a face, a place, a voice, anything. But there's nothing Scott, absolutely nothing."  
  
She turned and faced him again and then held up her arms and turned around to encompass the scene around them.  
  
"And then there's all this, the island, you, Dad, the rest of the guys- it's like I've never been away - in my head. But everything around me tells me that I have - the house has changed, you've made so many alterations, finished so many of the things we were still working on when Tin-Tin and I left for Europe. I nearly got lost yesterday getting to the dining room from the sick-room. Do you realise that? I nearly got lost in my own home!"  
  
Scott shook his head and opened his mouth to reply but his sister continued.  
  
"And the house isn't the only thing that's changed. You've all changed too. Dad's got more grey hairs and more lines. I've only seen a little of you all today but it's already obvious - you're all much more mature and responsible than you were before - well, except maybe for Alan." she finished with a grin.  
  
"Well that's Alan for you" he quipped "still the baby of the family."  
  
"Yeah, isn't he just." Again she paused. "Nearly six years Scott - that's one heck of a long time to not be able to remember. No faces, no events, nothing! It's almost as if it didn't exist. As if ....." she paused.  
  
"Go on"  
  
"As if I'm still in a dream. I feel as if I'm still dreaming and eventually I'll wake up and find I'm still on the 'Caribbean Star' before those explosions, lounging in the sun and waiting for dinner. How stupid is that?"  
  
She stood before him, her head hanging down and her shoulders slumped in defeat. Scott reached out and gripped her by the shoulders.  
  
"Hey, it's alright." he put a finger under her chin and tipped her head up so that she was looking at him. "You're not being stupid at all. You've been through a lot in the last three weeks. Your body's still recovering from all the punishment it's taken. Don't be surprised if your mind takes a little longer."  
  
"But that's just the problem Scott. Last time it took nearly six years - and then I only remembered because some thug tried to beat my brains out. How long is it going to be this time?"  
  
"Not that long!" Scott was vehement in his statement, wanting desperately to encourage his sister. "Look, last time you were alone. None of us knew you were alive, never mind where you were. This time you've got all of us. We know where you've been and who you've been with. If needed I'll fly you over to Vermont myself and we can go visit the search and rescue team there to get you to remember."  
  
He felt her relax beneath his hands as some of the tension left her.  
  
"Yeah, yeah I guess we could at that. I hadn't thought of that." Smiling now she looked up at her brother. "Thanks."  
  
He returned the smile and slipped his arm through hers, turning them back towards the house.  
  
"Come on, I reckon we've gone far enough for now. Besides, there's something we need to do back at the house."  
  
"Oh, what?"  
  
"I'm going to give you a proper tour. You're right, we've changed the place a lot since you left and now you're back you need to see it and be a part of it again. And the first thing we're going to do is to get you back to your old room, now that you're fit enough to leave the sick- room."  
  
Arm in arm they made their way back over the beach towards the house where lights were starting to appear in the windows.  
  
That night Jane Tracy slept in her old bed, in her old bedroom for the first time in many years. In her absence her room had been turned into one of the many guest bedrooms of the villa. Many of her personal belongings and clothes had been boxed up by Jeff Tracy and his sons and put away in one of the store-rooms as they did not wish to part with them. As Scott was showing her back to her old room other members of the family had joined them and the evening had been spent in a joyful and happy reclamation of the items from store and their restoration back into their original places.  
  
The full tour of the base, however, had to wait. The emergency signal went off early the next morning as the family was rising. Scott and Tin- Tin in Thunderbird One, followed closely by a full complement of Virgil, Gordon, Alan and Brains in Thunderbird Two, all left before breakfast, bound for mainland China where a devastating earthquake had levelled large portions of a major city and severely damaged outlying districts.  
  
During the more than three days that followed the four remaining members of the household spent most of their time in the lounge following the developments of the large-scale rescue going on thousands of miles away. The International Rescue team worked in shifts with the other world-wide rescue and relief organisations that had also gone to the scene, trying to find and extract as many victims as possible from under the piles of rubble. Between shifts they slept in the beds provided in Thunderbird Two. When they returned all were exhausted, covered in dirt and dust and interested only in getting clean, having a warm meal and then going to sleep.  
  
Early the following day Scott and Alan left for Thunderbird Five, taking Alan to replace John in the space satellite. After the initial take-off procedures and amid the routine monitoring of the course and operation of the space-craft their conversation turned to the prolonged rescue they had just attended.  
  
"I hate 'quakes." confessed Scott "The rescues always take so long."  
  
"They sure do" replied Alan with feeling "but it's not so much the length of the rescue that bothers me but that Tin-Tin is out there with us. A danger zone is no place for a woman - I hate it when she goes out with us." He fell silent for a minute then added "Still, I guess that'll be the last time."  
  
"How do you reckon that?"  
  
"Well now Jane's back then when we need someone else to man mobile control I guess she'll be doing it"  
  
As that comment drew no response from his older brother Alan looked sideways at Scott.  
  
"That is what'll happen isn't it Scott? I mean, that was the original plan when Dad was setting up International Rescue in the first place right? Jane was going to go out with you in Thunderbird One and run mobile control while you joined the rest of us in the rescue. Now she's back Tin-Tin can stay safe back on the island and we'll have an extra pair of hands available for every rescue, not just the large scale ones that Tin-Tin's been covering."  
  
"I don't know Alan. Maybe it won't work out like that now."  
  
"Why shouldn't it Scott? Don't you think she'll want to?"  
  
"It's not what Jane wants to do that's going to count here Alan, you know that. This is Dad's show and what he says goes - like it always has. Anyway you just said it yourself - 'a danger zone is no place for a woman' - that means any woman, not just Tin-Tin."  
  
Alan glared at Scott  
  
"So you don't think Dad will want Jane to replace Tin-Tin? It's OK for Tin-Tin to be put in danger for International Rescue but not for Jane is that it?"  
  
"That's not what I said Alan and it's not what I meant."  
  
Scott's reply was snapped back at the younger man and his face showed his irritation. He didn't want to have this conversation and he certainly didn't want to have it with his youngest brother.  
  
"You know what it did to Dad when we thought Jane was dead. The reason Tin-Tin doesn't go out on all the rescues with us is because Dad doesn't want to put her into more danger than is absolutely necessary"  
  
Scott drew in a long breath forcing himself to calm down.  
  
"Look Alan, let's just leave it. Jane's only been back a few days and she's not even fully fit yet. Let's wait and see what Dad says."  
  
Alan glared at his brother and then, much to Scott's relief he turned back to the controls of Thunderbird Three, his back stiff and straight.  
  
"Sure, whatever you say big brother"  
  
His face remained clouded and sullen and the remainder of the journey passed in silence. Once Thunderbird Three had docked with Thunderbird Five Alan rose to his feet and picked up his bag from the corner locker where it had been stored for the flight. He turned and started for the doorway that led to the docking tube.  
  
"Alan"  
  
The younger man stopped.  
  
"Yeah?" He didn't look at his brother but stood staring staight ahead.  
  
"Don't worry, we'll look after her. We care about her as well you know."  
  
Alan's shoulders sagged a little before he straightened them and turned to his eldest brother.  
  
"I know."  
  
He turned and started towards the airlock door. As he got there he stopped and turned back again.  
  
"Scott?"  
  
"Yes Alan?"  
  
"Take care of them both"  
  
"We will. Take care of yourself too little bro'. See you in a month."  
  
Alan nodded and vanished through the doorway.  
  
A few minutes later the space rocket disengaged from the orbiting space station, and turned to return Scott and John Tracy to the blue orb that hung silently below them.  
  
"So how is she Scott?"  
  
John's voice brought Scott out of his contemplation and he turned to see his younger brother's bright blue eyes regarding him quietly.  
  
"Jane?"  
  
"Of course Jane. Who else would I mean? How is she? Really?"  
  
Scott thought for a moment before answering.  
  
"She's finding it difficult John. She's come back to a family that has moved on in the last six years. IR has changed us all but she hasn't been around to see it - so far as she's concerned she left less than a month ago to go with Tin-Tin to sort out that business about the agents in Europe. As well as all that, she's aware that she's been living a totally different life, separated from us all for the last six years but can't remember a thing about it. She's concerned that she might never remember, that she'll never be able to bridge the gap and tie the two sides of her life together."  
  
"But it doesn't matter where she's been for six years!" John's eyes were perplexed and concerned "She's back home now where she belongs, back with us. It's not as if she'll be going back to Vermont is it? It doesn't matter if she can't remember what that life was like does it?"  
  
Once more Scott sat silent, not answering the question thrown at him by one of his brothers.  
  
"Does it Scott?"  
  
Scott looked at his brother, noting the unease that showed in his face.  
  
"John, I don't know what's going to happen. All I know is that for now Jane's having difficulty finding her feet again. More than part of that is because she's got questions going around in her head that she can't answer, that we can't answer, about what she's been doing for the last six years. So far as I can see, until she's resolved that she's still going to feel cut off from the rest of the family."  
  
There was silence for a couple of minutes as John considered Scott's reply. His response, when it came, brought a smile to his brother's lips.  
  
"Toss you for flying Ladybird to Vermont."  
  
When the sofa carrying both Scott and John rose through the floor of the lounge John barely had time to stand up before two arms were wrapped around him and he found himself looking down into the face of his sister. Although she wore a broad smile and was obviously genuinely glad to see him he was concerned to find himself the subject of a detailed visual examination, her eyes searching his face seeking and yet dreading to see...something. It didn't take long for her to find it and her face fell slightly as she did.  
  
"What's wrong?"  
  
Scott was talking to Jeff at the desk and neither were paying attention. No-one else was in the room to hear his question.  
  
"You've changed." Her voice was low and didn't carry beyond the two of them "The tele-vid isn't as good as eyes - it looked as if you might be the same. I was hoping..." she bit her lip and shook her head. "Oh well."  
  
Wrapping his arms around his sister John gave her a tight squeeze.  
  
"It's still me, even if I do look older. You're still my little sister and I'm so glad that you're back."  
  
He held her close for another few seconds and then pushed her gently away, put an arm around her shoulders and turned towards the door.  
  
"Now, I reckon it must be lunch time. What do you think? Let's go see if there's any of Grandma's home cooking available."  
  
After lunch it was decided that the long-delayed tour of the base would be delayed no longer. John and Jane rode down on the sofa to Thunderbird Three and spent a couple of hours going over the inside and surrounding of the space-craft and its hanger. They also paid a visit to the round house which had been fully decorated and equipped since Jane had last been on the island. As the location of the main stockpile of books and records for the family it was a place where many of the family members found solitude and peace when they were wanting to get away from the remainder of the inhabitants for a while.  
  
Scott joined them there and took Jane on the underground monorail system to the storage hanger of Thunderbird One where he took her through the various changes that had been made since she had last seen the facility. Thunderbird One had been complete before she had left and she had been heavily involved with Scott in the planning and design of the aircraft because of her planned involvement with its use on rescues. Although small changes and upgrades had been made by Brains over the years as needed, these were still relatively few and quickly covered. After less than an hour the two siblings made their way through many of the passageways that riddled the island towards the cavernous hanger where Thunderbird Two was housed.  
  
"You've done a fair bit of shifting things around down here Scott. I don't remember half of these doorways and there seem to be some new side- passages as well. I thought we'd done the bulk of the excavating before I left"  
  
"So did we. These weren't all done at once. The majority of these we've added in the last year or two. With all the improvements that Brains has made to the equipment there are always new things coming up that we can use and that become essential for rescues. We needed more space to store things. Equipment for rescues is kept in TB2's hanger so it's close to hand when we're loading up. A lot of these storerooms we use to keep maintenance equipment that we can get at our leisure when we're going over the machines."  
  
"The last year or two?"  
  
"Uh huh"  
  
"But there's so many of them. How did you get them all done in that time? Surely they must be very small rooms?"  
  
"No, reasonable size. Do you remember the miniature prototype of the Mole that Brains created, it only took one of us at a time?"**  
  
"Oh yes, I remember. You used that?"  
  
"Yeah. It worked fine and was small enough to be used here where we don't have vast amounts of room to manoever. Do you want to see the rooms?"  
  
"Sure - I might as well get used to what's where."  
  
They moved to the nearest door but just as Scott opened it he felt the familiar vibration of his watch. Lifting his arm Scott activated the device.  
  
"Scott here."  
  
Virgil's face filled the watch face.  
  
"Scott, are you anywhere nearby? Gordon and I are in TB2's hanger. We're having difficulty with the tracking for the grabs. We need an extra pair of hands. Can you help?"  
  
"Sure thing Virgil. Jane and I are on our way there anyway. We're by the maintenance store-rooms. We'll be right down."  
  
Scott closed the link and turned back to his sister who was standing in the darkened doorway, looking into the room.  
  
"Coming Jane?"  
  
"Hmmm?"  
  
She stood gazing into the darkness, a puzzled look on her face.  
  
"I said are you coming? Virgil and Gordon need some help in Thunderbird Two."  
  
Not changing position his sister answered absently.  
  
"No, that's ok. You go ahead, I'll catch up."  
  
Puzzled, but keen to go and help his brothers Scott turned away.  
  
"OK - just follow the corridor when you're ready. We're right at the end."  
  
As he strode off down the corridor his sister took a tentative step into the room.  
  
Virgil wiped his arm over his face to brush away the lock of hair that kept falling in his eyes, oblivious to the streak of grease that attached itself to his cheek and forehead as a result.  
  
"OK Scott" he called in a tired voice, "try that."  
  
There was a faint purr as power hummed through the equipment and the grabs finally closed smoothly and correctly. Scott ran through the procedure a couple of times more and each time the grabs opened and closed to completion. Happy that the job was done he operated the controls to settle Thunderbird Two back down on its stilts.  
  
"I guess that just about wraps it up."  
  
Scott stood next to his brown haired brother and grinned.  
  
"You know, we'd have got on quicker if you'd put the grease on the tracking to begin with rather than painting your face with it."  
  
"What? Oh" Virgil grinned as the comment registered.  
  
"We'd also have got on quicker if you'd been here to help in the first place instead of swanning around the base with Jane all afternoon." His eyes twinkled as he made the comment, letting his brother know he was only joking "Honestly the minute a woman appears on the scene you're hopeless"  
  
"Well someone had to show her around. If you, Gordon and Alan hadn't got the kit so dirty in the first place you wouldn't have to spend all this time cleaning it." Scott looked around and frowned  
  
"Where is she anyway? She should have been here ages ago."  
  
Virgil looked up from where he was wiping his hands and face on a clean cloth.  
  
"I don't know Scott. Once you got here we were working and I haven't thought of it since."  
  
He moved over to the doorway of the Thunderbird machine and stuck his head outside. Seeing Gordon bending down packing tools away nearby he called out.  
  
"Hey Gordon."  
  
His younger brother looked up.  
  
"Have you seen Jane anywhere around?"  
  
"No" Gordon shook his head "I hadn't thought about it since Scott got here but I haven't seen her."  
  
"She must have found something mighty interesting in that store-room." Scott clapped Virgil on his back as he moved past him through the doorway. "Come on, let's go find her."  
  
As she walked past the door and entered the room it seemed as if she were experiencing deja-vu. The light from the passageway illuminated only the first few feet to her light adjusted eyes and by it she could make out stacks of shelves disappearing into the gloom. She stood in the semi- darkness for a number of minutes, trying to grasp the memory that stood on the edge of her consciousness. At last she left the dull circle of light cast in from the outside passage and entered the full dark of the storage area. As she reached the shelving she suddenly gasped, grasping at the side of the unit for support as the room seemed to spin and melt around her and become another room, in another place.  
  
~~~~~ ~~~~~  
  
They were coming. They could not be far behind her now. She had to get away from here. Hiding would be of no use, eventually they would find her again and then the needle would appear to be followed by darkness.  
  
~~~~~ ~~~~~  
  
She pulled herself upright and staggered on. There had to be another door, another way out.  
  
~ ~~~~ ~~~~~  
  
A whirling kaleidoscope of images, her head spinning and her body sick and in pain. She had fleeting images of faces, cruel, hard and mocking and their voices circled in her mind, questioning, questioning. She fought the voices - she must not remember. She must say nothing, nothing. Nothing of the secrets, plans and codes, nothing of her family, of her father, of her home. If only she could forget, forget it all.  
  
~~~~~ ~~~~~~  
  
The room went on before her. It was fully dark here but she did not need light to see. The images were within her head, she knew where she was. She knew who was behind.  
  
~~~~~ ~~~~~~  
  
Darkness again. A bed beneath her that rose and fell of its own accord, sickening her stomach and causing her head to swell and shrink as the waves of invisible motion affected her body. A boat! She was on a boat! Or was she? Perhaps it was all in her mind, a result of the drug. The drug - how it sought to open her mouth, to cause her to spill out all that she knew! To tell them what they wanted to know. She must not, she must be silent. It would be better if she were unconscious, or dead - beyond the recall of water and hard hands, then they could never hear her speak. She must not tell them. Oh, that she could forget. If only the drug they used to make her speak would instead wipe her memory so she could remember nothing. Escape, she must escape. She must get out.  
  
A scraping sound - a key in the lock. A mocking voice and then hands, hands that were calloused and hard and grasping. Touching everywhere, loosening her clothes, reaching beneath. Her eyes shot open - dark hair, brown eyes above her. A mirthless grin and then hands in her hair, tearing her head backwards. Lips at her throat, hot, fetid breath reeking of alcohol and smoke. 'Get up! Get up! Now's your chance. It's now or never'. A quick move, her nails in his face, thumbs in his eyes, pushing, gouging as she got off the bed. A hoarse cry and a blow to her face that sent her spinning across the cabin and spawling over a chair. Then he was there again, wrenching her to her feet and pinning her against the wall. And again the reek of alcohol and stale tobacco as he pressed against her, holding her jaw in an iron grip and forcing her mouth open by brute force as he leaned forward to take what he desired. In desperation she brought both hands up to his ears with as much force as she could, at the same time bringing her knee upwards to hit as hard as she could. He staggered backwards, cursing and wretching and she was free, out of the door and running, running through corridors that still swayed and moved. Up stairs, through doors. Running, running.  
  
The door stood open as they reached it but the room was in darkness. Scott reached for the switch but was stopped by his brother's hand.  
  
"Remember all those times when we thought she was asleep and she'd be hiding under the stairs or behind a door before she'd jump out at us as we went by?" Virgil's eyes glittered with mischief as he looked at his brother. "How about we give her a proper welcome home?"  
  
Scott thought for a moment and then grinned  
  
"It's been a long time since we made her jump properly. It'll be just like old times."  
  
Grinning the brothers silently entered the room, separating slightly to search more easily and then come upon their target from both sides, unawares.  
  
~~~~~ ~~~~~  
  
The ships's passages seemed endless. Behind her she could hear pursiut. She turned aside, opening a door and slipping inside. Turning she found herself in semi-darkness in a store room lined with shelves carrying goods of all sorts. She stumbled forwards - there had to be another door , another way out.. If they caught her she would have to fight but she was only one - they were many. She followed the wall around, came to a corner, turned and carried on until she reached another corner. No door. There was only one.  
  
~~~~~ ~~~~~  
  
The two brothers padded forward into the darkness, their feet only making the lightest of sounds in the still room. They could hear faint movements of fabric ahead of them and ragged breathing. She was here, with the light off, hiding, enjoying the anticipation so much that her breathing gave away her presence. Waiting for them. They would enjoy this. This time it was Jane that would jump not them. Working together silently, using the common bond of understanding that had grown between them over the years they approached their prey cautiously, not wanting to announce their presence until the last moment.  
  
~~~~~ ~~~~~~  
  
She could hear them now. They were here. In the dark. Hunting. For her. She would have to fight. It was her only chance. In the dark, in the confusion, if she could get to them before they got to her, she might be able to stop them long enough to get away. She stretched out her arm cautiously over the nearest shelf, feeling for anything to help her. The first shelf yielded nothing but on the shelf beneath she found something she could use as a weapon. Lifting it she turned and began to move back towards the only door.  
  
~~~~~ ~~~~~  
  
Scott grinned to himself. His sister's patience had obviously decreased over the years. When she was young she had been known to hide for up to an hour, waiting for her victims to appear when they thought it was safe. He couldn't have been with Virgil and Gordon for more than a third of that time before coming to look for her but if he wasn't mistaken his sister was giving up and leaving the store room already. Trusting that Virgil was in position he moved forward, ready to jump as she went past.  
  
As she edged along a set of shelves there was a swift movement behind her, a shout of victory and a tall, stocky figure leapt out at her from behind. Expecting the attack she dropped and whirled, raised the weapon in her hands and swung for the knees of her attacker. Weapon collided with flesh and the cry of victory turned into a shout of pain as the figure was knocked sideways and came crashing down at her feet. Bringing the weapon up above her head she brought it down over the shadow's back and shoulders then she turned to flee.  
  
Another figure appeared before her and she ran into its arms before she had time to react. Hands grasped at her shoulders, striving to capture her. She heard words, imprecations but could not make them out. Her heart was pumping too violently now and her blood was roaring in her ears. Twisting and turning she nearly wrenched herself free of her assailant but his hands had become entangled in her shirt and as she turned to flee once more she lost her balance and fell to the floor, twisting and landing on her back. The sudden loss of balance took her captor by surprise and he too fell, landing partly on her legs, trapping her.  
  
She was completely desperate now, desperate to escape, to avoid what must surely come. Her attacker was nearly on his knees, shouting at her, one hand on her hip holding her down, the other seeking her arm. She had to get away, had to escape. She hadn't been able to hit the other one hard enough - he would recover soon and then she would be lost.  
  
She still held the weapon in her hand. With a last effort she brought it up sharply and it was caught between her hand and the side of his face as she smacked it home. Momentarily stunned his grip slackened and she kicked her legs free from under him and clamboured to her feet. Backing up she realised that in the confusion she had become disorientated. The way to the door was in front of her. Her assailants, both of whom were clambering to their feet, were between her and it. At her back was a cold wall.  
  
"Lay one more finger on me and I swear I'll kill you." The words were all she had to fight off the fear and panic that rose in her throat. A facade of strength ground out from between clenched teeth that would convince no-one. "I'll tell you nothing and if you try to stop me getting out of here I'll send you to rot in Hell where you belong. Now get out of my way."  
  
Her assailants looked towards each other briefly but before either could reply another voice came out of the darkness.  
  
"WHAT THE DEVIL IS GOING ON HERE AND WHY ARE YOU ALL IN THE DARK?"  
  
With that the room was flooded in light and Jeff Tracy saw two of his sons standing unsteadily before his daughter, battered and bruised from the large piece of pipe that she was wielding in her hand. Her hair and clothes were dishevelled, her face pale and her eyes large with terror.  
  
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^  
  
** Many thanks to Tikatu for allowing me to borrow this wonderful idea of a prototype for the Mole. It was mentioned in "Mole People", a chapter of Tikatu's story "Father's Day".  
  
Disclaimer: The Thunderbirds characters are owned by someone other than me although Jane Tracy is, I believe, my invention.  
  
I intend only to borrow them and will return them in one piece. 


	8. Episode Eight Revelations

Episode Eight:- Revelations  
  
Jeff advanced a few paces into the room.  
  
"Scott, what's going on here?"  
  
"Dad, no." Scott half-turned and gestured to his father "slow down, come quietly. I think Jane's having some kind of flash-back. She doesn't seem to know where she is or who we are."  
  
Turning back towards his sister, who was still standing backed up against the wall, he half-raised his arms, palms up in a gesture of peace.  
  
"Jane, it's me, Scott" his voice was quiet and steady "it's OK, everything is alright. No-one's going to hurt you"  
  
Jane was blinking rapidly, trying to get her eyes to adjust to the bright light but at the same time see what was happening around her. As Scott took a small step towards her she brought up the piece of pipe in front of her, waving it around unsteadily.  
  
"No Jane, put it down. It's only me and Virgil and Father. You're safe now, you're safe."  
  
Jeff had reached Virgil and stood looking backwards and forwards between his daughter and eldest son trying to make sense of what he was seeing.  
  
"Scott?............Dad?" Jane was straining forwards to see them, peering as if through a thick fog. "Is that you?"  
  
She wasn't sure where she was anymore. Her body was taut with fear, her mouth dry and her heart beating fit to burst as she waited for her assailants to leap at her. Suddenly disjointed images started flashing through her brain in a whirlwind jumble that distracted her and made her dizzy and disorientated. Faces rushed towards her, their voices wobbly and distorted as if over a great distance, becoming louder as they approached and then fading off into the distance as the faces disappeared and were replaced with others. Faces that she had never seen before but that she knew, voices that she recognised. An image of an office with more people, these ones in uniform. A car, a track leading to a house, a hospital ward with nurses talking to her as she lay in a bed, a building lying in ruins with thunder and lightning all around and the bloodless face of a rain-drenched child lying in her arms. The images crashed in on her, replacing the room where she stood and spun around in her head, leaving her confused and uncertain.  
  
Words that her mind could not grasp were coming at her from the tall dark haired one and she struggled to bring her weapon up to meet the perceived threat.More words, but now the voice was becoming clearer, more familiar. The figures before her seemed to waver and to bend, changing shape and form into people that she knew.  
  
"Scott?............Dad? Is that you?"  
  
She scrubbed at her eyes to remove an invisible film that prevented her from seeing clearly and finally the outlines before her became solid. Her heart seemed to suddenly stand still in her chest as the tall menacing figures of the sailors who had attacked her became none other than her own brothers, standing watching her with concerned but wary eyes.  
  
She took in their slightly unsteady stances, the bruising already beginning to darken down the left side of Scott's face and then looked to the piece of pipe that she still held before her. As the pieces came together and she realised what she had done her stomach churned and the gorge rose suddenly and forcefully into her throat. Dropping the pipe she stumbled to the side and falling to her knees she began to heave the contents of her stomach out onto the storeroom floor. The adrenalin that had been coursing around in her system was still active and, since both fight and flight were now out of the question, her body began to tremble and shake in reaction to the shocks her mind had endured in the last few minutes.  
  
Dimly she was aware of movement and voices around her and of a hand gently rubbing her back as her stomach continued to heave and churn, refusing to retain any of the things she had given it over the last few hours. The cold from the store-room floor started to bite into her hands and knees where she knelt and added to the trembling and shaking that wracked her body.  
  
Gradually the turbulence in her stomach died down and the heaves, which had ceased producing solid matter, came to an end. As she knelt there, regaining her breath, a hand appeared with a cloth and gently wiped around her mouth. She peered sideways through the hair dangling in front of her face and saw Jeff only inches away, worry and concern clearly showing on his face. Gently he reached out and brushed back the tendrils of hair, cupping her head in his hands.  
  
"Honey, are you alright? Do you know us?"  
  
She glanced up at Scott standing behind their father's kneeling form and she felt rather than saw Virgil kneeling behind her, one of his hands still gently resting on her back. Nodding she struggled to stand, her father steadying her as she rose. When she was fully on her feet Scott thrust a cup into her hand. Thankfully she swallowed the water to rid her mouth and throat of the burning aftermath that still lingered.  
  
"Thanks Scott." Her eyes widened slightly and she turned to her brothers in alarm. "Scott! Virgil! Are you both OK? Did I hurt you?" She reached out to Scott, turning his face so that she could see the darkening bruised area. Regret filled her face "I'm so sorry" she breathed, "I didn't realise it was you, I thought........"  
  
"It's alright Jane, We're fine, really." Scott moved his head away from her hand. "What happened? Can you tell us?"  
  
She hesitated, thinking through the kaleidoscope of images that had flooded her head and quickly ordering them in her mind. Then she told them of the sense of deja-vu she had experienced when entering the room at first and of the recalled events of her escape that she had re-lived in the last few minutes. When she finished their eyes were hard and angry.  
  
"How did you get out?" asked Jeff, angered beyond belief at the treatment that his daughter had received while he had even been ignorant of her continued existence.  
  
"I managed to hit a couple of them as they came at me, I don't think they were expecting me to fight. I dodged another couple in the dark then I made it to the door and up to the deck. I remember running and jumping over the stern of the ship onto some crates that were being lifted in a net onto another ship but I barely managed to grab the net and fell almost immediately. I guess that must have been how I ended up in the hold of that ship where I was found. " She paused before continuing "But I can remember everything else now as well"  
  
"Everything else?"  
  
"Yeah. The hospital, Doctor Johnson and then joining the Search and Rescue Squad." At this she started and made a jump towards the door. "The squad. I've got to let them know I'm alright, they'll be worried."  
  
A hand fell on her arm and held her back.  
  
"It's alright honey. We've already told them remember?"  
  
"But Dad, you only told them that International Rescue found me and took me back to my family. They haven't heard anything since and they'll still be worried - that's the first they've ever heard about any family and it comes right after those hoodlums jumping me at home. They're my friends. They'll want to hear it from me."  
  
With this she spun on her heel and headed for the doorway at a run. Exchanging puzzled looks her brothers followed, Virgil limping slightly and Scott keeping pace with him. Slower still came their father, with a frown on his face.  
  
Half an hour later Scott and John were seated on opposite sides of the dinner table awaiting the remainder of the family. Gordon, Tin-Tin and Jane came in together. Of Brains, Virgil and Jeff there was so far no sign. Grandma turned from where she had just laid a bowl of vegetables on the table.  
  
"There you are. And I was just thinking I'd have to send Scott or John to find you. Now we're only waiting for three more and we can start."  
  
"You wouldn't get them to do it Grandma" grinned Gordon "Once Scott and John have food in their sights they won't leave the area until there's none left."  
  
"Watch it little brother, you're outnumbered and we're bigger and stronger than you."  
  
"Too right" added John "Perhaps we'd better confiscate your share just to remind you of that."  
  
Before Gordon could respond he was distracted by Virgil coming in with Brains, the limp all but disappeared.  
  
"Hey Virgil. How's the leg?"  
  
Jane looked across quickly at her brother, colour flooding her face.  
  
"Fine Gordon, no lasting damage" Virgil answered quickly "I'll just have to be more careful going down stairs in future. I wouldn't want to break my neck next time."  
  
As Virgil finished he glanced quickly at the puzzled face of his sister and, with his face carefully turned away from Gordon, winked. Scott smiled gently as he saw the relief wash over her face and gave a reassuring nod as she looked at him.  
  
Vigil and Brains joined the table as Grandma started handing around the dishes.  
  
"What about, uh, Mr Tracy? Shall I, uh, go and find him?" ventured Brains as a last filled plate was placed in front of the only remaining empty chair.  
  
"No need Brains."  
  
Scott turned as the gruff voice of Jeff came from behind him. He was not surprised to see his father's face was still clouded from the events earlier that afternoon. As Jeff took his seat between his eldest son and his daughter he touched Jane's wrist to gain her attention.  
  
"Did you make your call?"  
  
The question was so soft that Scott barely caught it.  
  
"Yes thanks Dad. I'd forgotten about the time difference so it was a bit of a late call but Captain Johnson pulled late duty for this week so I got to talk to him. It was good to see his face again."  
  
"What did you tell him?"  
  
"I told him the truth - withholding certain details of course." She added quickly.  
  
"What did you tell him?"  
  
The question came again, this time a little sharper. Jeff's face was turned away from Scott so he could not see his father's expression but Jeff's back had stiffened at Jane's initial reply and Scott could see knuckles on his right hand standing out a little whiter as it gripped his fork.  
  
Jane paused and cast a quick look down the length of the table. John and Gordon were talking with Tin-Tin and Brains was talking quietly with Grandma at the far end of the table. None of the four seem to have heard any of the conversation. Virgil was sitting besides Scott and although his eyes were on his plate and he seemed to be paying attention only to his meal Scott knew that he was listening in to the comments passing between his twin sister and their father.  
  
"I told him I was hit on the head and when I woke up I remembered enough about my family for International Rescue to be able to take me home. I also told him this was the first time I was well enough to call the squad and let them know I was OK." She shrugged slightly "A bit of a stretch of the facts but true enough without going into even more detail with him."  
  
"What about your name? Did you tell him who you really are?"  
  
"Yes." she paused briefly before continuing. "He'll need it for his records anyway. But to keep things simple I said that I'd prefer to still be known as Janet Vintmore by the rest of the team - a sort of professional name if you will."  
  
Scott was looking straight towards her and so caught the glance she directed towards initially Virgil, but also towards himself and their father as she finished. The look was part excitement, part apology and part worry.  
  
Jeff was now looking straight ahead of him and Scott saw the clouded expression that had been present when his father entered the room had darkened and deepened. At the other end of the table Grandma Tracy glanced up sharply from her conversation with Brains and looked at her son.  
  
"Jeff? Is something wrong?"  
  
The other conversations around the table fell into silence as the other family members sensed the change in atmosphere. Gordon looked from his father to his other brothers and then to his sister.  
  
"What's going on you guys?"  
  
Jeff put his napkin on the table and stood up.  
  
"Go on with your meal, all of you. I'll see you in my study afterwards."  
  
Addressing the last comment towards Jane, he turned and left the room without another word.  
  
Scott rolled over and looked at the clock sitting on the table next to his bed. Two nineteen am, still far too early to get up even for him. Batting his pillow back into shape he dropped back down again and closed his eyes once more. This time his attempt to fall back to sleep lasted less than a minute before he sat up abruptly, threw the bed covers off and swung his legs to the floor. Grabbing his robe from the end of the bed and pulling it around him he made his to the door and opened it. As it silently slid open he stood and listened for a few seconds before moving but there were no signs of any of the other household members being awake.  
  
Scott quietly passed through the sleeping area of the house, pausing out of habit outside each door he passed just long enough to confirm there was no indication of disturbed sleep coming from within. Within minutes he had reached the kitchen, filled a plate with biscuits and, with a mug of milky hot chocolate in his other hand, made his way into the lounge.  
  
"Hi Scott."  
  
Scott jumped and almost dropped the plate and mug as the words came to him out of the darkened room. Using the moonlight coming in through the large windows he could make the pale reflection of a face turned towards him around the side of one of the chairs.  
  
"Virgil? Is that you?"  
  
"Sure. What are you doing up at this time in the morning? Apart from raiding Grandma's supply of cookies that is?"  
  
"Couldn't sleep. I've been tossing and turning for the better part of an hour so I decided to get up. You?"  
  
"Same."  
  
Virgil shifted back again as his brother sat in a chair nearby and for a while they sat in silence as Scott shared the biscuits with Virgil and drank the hot milky drink.  
  
"Do you think she's going to go back?"  
  
Virgil's voice broke the silence as Scott bit into the last bit of the last biscuit. He used the time that he was chewing to think before replying. After Jeff had left the dinner table Gordon had done his best to find out what had happened but Scott, Virgil and Jane had all kept their own counsel. Realising he would get no further Gordon had let the matter drop and the rest of the meal passed in silence. Tin-Tin and Brains had absented themselves from the room as soon as they could and after giving all of her grandchildren a penetrating glare Grandma had headed towards the kitchen. Before Gordon started in with more questions Jane had left the table and headed toward their father's study.  
  
For the next two hours the two of them had been shut away from the rest of the family and none had dared go near. The next anyone knew the conference was over. Jane had disappeared to her room and refused to answer the door while Jeff Tracy, with a face like a thundercloud, had stormed away to the far end of the beach, ignoring all attempts to gain his attention. He had returned to the villa by another route and had similarly disappeared to his room.  
  
"I don't know Virgil. I really don't know."  
  
"I'm going to miss her if she goes." the words were followed by a soft sigh "but perhaps it's for the best."  
  
Scott turned incredulous eyes on his younger brother.  
  
"For the best? How do you reckon that Virgil? Have you forgotten what it was like when we thought she was dead?"  
  
"Of course not. But she isn't dead is she? It isn't the same this time."  
  
"In what way?"  
  
Virgil was quiet for a minute before replying, then his voice came falteringly, as if he were only just formulating his response as he spoke.  
  
"Well, since she 'died', as we thought then, things have changed. The bond with her was broken, she was gone, life had to go on."  
  
"Go on" Scott added softly as his brother stopped.  
  
"Well, that's when things changed...things between you and me. You were so strong then Scott. I felt as if I was losing my self..........drowning almost. But, well, you were there. Through everything you were there and you held me together."  
  
Virgil turned and looked into his eldest brother's eyes.  
  
"I've never said this to anyone Scott but...........I almost chucked it all up then."  
  
Scott listened in silence and growing horror, a cold realisation sinking into the base of his stomach as Virgil continued.  
  
"I felt as if I couldn't go on....it was as if Mom had died all over again. But when Mom died we were still quite young and didn't fully understand for a while. And when we did there was still Jane - as if a part of Mom was still with us but this time........this time Jane was gone. It was too much, I didn't want to go on."  
  
"Virg! You wouldn't have!"  
  
"No, I wouldn't. Not deliberately done something, no. But I wanted to give up. I wanted to just lie down and die. Stop eating, stop drinking, stop breathing............stop living."  
  
Scott sat in silence, stunned by the enormity of the revelation. He had known that his brother had been hurting badly, but even he had not guessed just how much.  
  
"But you were always there, beside me. My big brother, making me eat, making me get up to face each day as the search went on and then afterwards, once it was over, keeping me company while we completed the works on the machines, making sure I wasn't left alone for too long."  
  
Virgil chuckled at the look of surprise that crossed Scott's face.  
  
"Oh yeah, I noticed Scott don't think I didn't. 'Though I guess it must have seemed like you were getting nowhere, like I was on a different planet somewhere."  
  
Scott nodded silently - that was exactly how it had felt. His brother was far, far away in a world of grief and he was unable to help him beyond keeping him company in bodily form.  
  
"But I knew you were there Scott. The rest of the guys, and father - well, they were almost like shadows in a world of black and white where all the colour had been washed away - but you were a light, a burning brand of red, living hope I could hold on to. Hope that one day, somehow, the colour would come back into all the world. Most days you were all I had when I wanted to let it all go. But I couldn't, because I knew I couldn't give up on that hope, couldn't leave you behind in case your colour was washed away too. So I stayed."  
  
"And now?"  
  
"Now Jane's alive and well but.................she's moved on Scott. Heck, we've all moved on. It's been a pretty busy six years and we're all different. She's made a life for herself in Vermont, not connected to us or to International Rescue. If she goes back to it......well, she'll still be alive won't she? She can still come visit sometimes. It won't be the same as her living here all the time but perhaps that's not for her."  
  
"Perhaps not."  
  
"And if she does go back, well, perhaps she'll be safer."  
  
"Safer?"  
  
"Sure Scott. Even if she goes back to the Search and Rescue squad, the rescues she gets involved in won't be half as dangerous as the things we get involved in with IR. If she stays here with us and goes out on each rescue to man mobile control.......heck you know what it's like out there Scott. You know how many times one or other of us has landing in hospital with broken bones or worse. How many times have all of us been nearly killed doing this job?"  
  
Scott stayed silent, knowing only too well what his brother meant.  
  
"We wouldn't have it any other way, we all know that. And if Jane stayed here that's what she'd want to do too. Just look at her life over the last six years. What did she do as soon as she was well enough to leave that hospital? She joined the Search and Rescue squad and was soon in the thick of it with the rest of them. It's as if she knew that's what she should be doing, what she would be doing if she was with us. Subconsciously she must have known it. Her life has been going the same direction as ours for the last six years, just in a slightly different place. If she stayed here she wouldn't be happy unless she joined the rest of us on the team. And once she did that it would only be a matter of time until she was injured just like all the rest of us have been."  
  
Virgil gazed out at the calm expanse of the Pacific ocean as it glittered in the moonlight.  
  
"I don't think I could handle it if she died again Scott. Once was bad enough. If anything happened to her while she was out with us.........."  
  
"Nothing would happen to her Virg............"  
  
"You don't KNOW that Scott." Virgil rounded on his brother, his eyes glinting with vehemence "You DON'T know that and you CAN'T know that. Things have happened to all of us that you and everyone else have been powerless to stop. Given enough time and enough rescues something is likely to happen - you know that as well as I do."  
  
Scott was silent. There was nothing he could say.  
  
"I don't want to see it happen Scott...........but I won't be a part of stopping her doing what she wants. To do that would to squash her spirit, to stop her being what she truly wanted to be and I won't be a part of that. So if she stays and wants to be an active part of International Rescue then I'm going to support her all the way. So maybe it would be for the best if she went back to Vermont."  
  
Scott looked deep into his cup, as if he could find an answer in the brown liquid lying at the base. Finally, with a sigh he drained the last of the chocolate, picked up the plate and stood up.  
  
"I guess we'll just have to wait and see what happens Virg. There's no point in second guessing now. It's late and I'm tired. I'm heading back to bed. Coming?"  
  
Nodding Virgil stood up and followed his brother out of the lounge and back towards the sleeping area of the villa, via the kitchen. Once they had gone and their footsteps had disappeared towards the bedrooms a silhouette detached itself from the darkest corner of the lounge where it had been concealed by one of the chairs and followed them into the darkness.  
  
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ ^^^^^^^^  
  
Disclaimer: The Thunderbirds characters are owned by someone other than me although Jane Tracy is, I believe, my invention.  
  
I intend only to borrow them and will return them in one piece. 


	9. Episode Nine Moving On

Episode Nine:- Moving On.  
  
The next morning as Scott entered the kitchen Jane was seated at the table with her back to him. She was dressed in a tee shirt and trousers but on her feet were stout walking boots. She had evidently just finished her breakfast for just as he passed the threshold she rose and turned with her bowl in her hands. Her head was down and she appeared deep in thought for she did not notice him until he spoke.  
  
"And where are you going so early?"  
  
Her head came up and as she saw him she gave a start of surprise, dropped her bowl and jumped a step backwards. The empty bowl shattered with a loud crash on the stone floor and for a fraction of a second Scott saw nothing but fear in her face. Then, almost before he had seen it, it was gone and she dropped to the ground and hurriedly started picking up the pieces.  
  
"What did you want to go and do that for? Now look what I've done. Kyrano will kill me."  
  
She sounded annoyed and irritated but there was a slight quiver to her voice, as if she was trying to conceal something. Scott quickly bent to help clear up the mess.  
  
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to startle you so badly. I just..."  
  
He stopped and frowned. Her hands were shaking as she collected the pieces of shattered crockery.  
  
"Scott Tracy don't you tell your fibs." Their grandmother's voice came from behind Scott "You did so mean to frighten your sister. Poor child, back from the dead for barely a week and already you're trying to scare her into her grave."  
  
Scott stood and turned to face his grandmother where she stood in the doorway. He grinned at her disarmingly.  
  
"Ah Grandma, you know I wouldn't waste my time trying to kill off one of the ladies of this family. They're all as tough as old boots just like you and will outlast us poor men by years." Reaching down he gently pinched her cheek and drew her into a hug. "And good morning to you too."  
  
As he rested his chin on her hair he was startled by the sound of a door closing and turning he found the kitchen behind him empty and his sister gone.  
  
"Well I'll be...... Where's she off to in such a hurry?" he wondered out loud.  
  
"Away to where she won't have the living daylights scared out of her if she's any sense." chipped in his Grandmother. "You just leave her be. Away with you now. As tough as old boots indeed. And I suppose that's meant to be a compliment is it? Much more of that and you can get your own breakfast. I think you should sit down right there and stop making trouble for yourself before the day's barely begun" and with that she turned away to begin preparing breakfast for the rest of the family.  
  
After eating Scott joined his brothers doing maintenance checks on the remainder of the equipment that had been used in the rescue operation in China a few days previously. They worked through lunch, Kyrano having brought them drinks and sandwiches that they snacked as they worked. By early afternoon they were happy that an incoming emergency call would not find them unprepared so they dispersed to the various parts of the villa to take whatever relaxation they wished. Having confirmed that Jane had not been seen since breakfast Scott donned a stout pair of boots and a rucksack and headed for the mountainous path leading upwards towards the peak of the volcano that had given birth to this island retreat that he called home.  
  
As he rounded the last rise he was not surprised to be met by the sight of his sister sitting facing out to sea with her back leaning against a large boulder, her arms resting on her knees. Taking care to scuff his feet noisily over the last few meters, he reached the rock and looked down at the seated form.  
  
"Mind if I join you?"  
  
She answered without looking at him.  
  
"Sure. Plenty of room."  
  
Taking off his rucksack he crouched and opened the top.  
  
"Kyrano said you'd skipped lunch. I've brought you a snack in case you're hungry."  
  
Taking out the contents he laid two wrapped sandwiches, an apple, a bottle of water and a wrapped piece of cake by her side. Then he turned and sat beside her, leaning back against the boulder. Watching her surreptitiously from the corner of his eye he saw her glance briefly at the food and then look back towards the horizon, making no move to eat. Her face was paler than usual except around her eyes where shadows were evident. Deciding that frontal attack would be the likeliest way to get results he opened his mouth to speak only to be cut off before he even started.  
  
"Thanks for bringing it Scott but I'm really not hungry right now and I'd appreciate it if you wouldn't start trying to persuade me."  
  
"Actually I wasn't going to. I was going to ask whether you were up here trying to avoid Dad" out of the corner of his eye he saw her flinch slightly "or whether you're trying to avoid me and Virgil?"  
  
This time she jumped. Then she closed her eyes and hung her head. Sitting up and turning to face her he reached out to touch her but drew his hand back at the last second. Instead he bent his head down to try to get a look at her face. Her eyes were shut tight but the slight trembling at the sides of her mouth gave evidence of her emotions.  
  
"Jane I'm not stupid. You look like you barely slept last night and when you first saw me in the kitchen this morning you nearly jumped out of your skin. You were so afraid that your hands were shaking."  
  
With her eyes still shut she replied in a low voice  
  
"You startled me. I didn't know you were there."  
  
"That's right, I did. But I've startled you lots of times before without you looking as if you expected me to try to rape you."  
  
That got the reaction that he had been expecting. She gasped in shock and her head snapped up, her eyes wide open.  
  
"I never thought...."  
  
"Yes you did" he interrupted "and I completely understand. I know the men who attacked you looked similar to me and Virgil, I've seen them remember?"  
  
Wordlessly she nodded as he continued.  
  
"You told us what they tried to do and I know you well enough to know that you probably left out a good deal of the more unpleasant details to spare us having to hear them. It's only natural after something like that for you to have difficulty sleeping and to be jumpy when you're taken by surprise."  
  
She closed her eyes again and hung her head but wet patches began to appear under her eyelashes.  
  
Slowly, cautiously Scott reached out and gently rested his hands on her shoulders. When she did not object he moved forwards a little and gathered her into his arms. At first she did not react, remaining as solid as stone but after a few seconds she relaxed and wrapped her arms around him. She knotted her hands into the shirt at his back, holding onto him desperately as the rest of the barriers within her fell and she began to sob.  
  
Scott held her gently, resting his chin on her head and stroking her hair with one hand, keeping the other wrapped protectively around her. For the next few minutes he just sat and held her close, allowing her to cry uninterrupted and undisturbed, continually stroking her hair and her back as a comforting presence that demanded no response but only wished to be there to support her. Every so often he murmured soft, comforting words of assurance, as he had done to all of his siblings at various times over the years.  
  
At last her sobs slowed and gradually ceased. She held onto him for a few seconds longer and then pushed herself away. Immediately he released her.  
  
"Better?"  
  
She nodded as she drew a handkerchief from her pocket, wiped her face and blew her nose. Scott sat back and waited until she was ready. Her next words took him by surprise.  
  
"I'm sorry."  
  
"What the heck for?"  
  
"For thinking you were .........." her voice trailed off.  
  
This time he did reach out and touch her. With one finger he tipped her face up so that she looked at him.  
  
"Hey" his voice was soft and reassuring "I said it was a natural thing to happen. It's.........NOT..........your ............fault."  
  
His brilliant blue eyes looked down into her red-rimmed brown ones and saw there only doubt and anxiety. Unsure how to proceed he paused and thought for a moment before he understood.  
  
"You think it'll always be like that don't you?"  
  
She tilted her head to one side questioningly, unsure what he was asking.  
  
"You think that every time you see me or Virgil you'll see them instead"  
  
Instantly she coloured, the brilliant flush that went with her hair colouring shooting up her neck and flushing her face as he correctly understood her anxiety.  
  
"Oh honey, it won't. It'll get better, you just need some time."  
  
"Maybe I need more than just time."  
  
Silence fell. A cold certainty filled Scott's heart. The night before he had not known the answer to Virgil's question. Now he feared that he knew that answer all too well. And he knew that he did not like it.  
  
"You're going back"  
  
It was not a question. And she did not deny it.  
  
For a moment she didn't speak, looking away from him to avoid his eyes. When she looked back her face was set, as if expecting an argument.  
  
"Yes, I am. Not just because of this though" she hurriedly added as he opened his mouth to comment.  
  
"Why then?"  
  
Scott's thoughts raced. He could guess at a possible reason why his sister might want to return to Vermont but there were reasons why she should not - one very good reason in particular.  
  
"Scott, I don't know if this will make sense but....if I didn't go back I'd feel that I was betraying them."  
  
Scott stared at his sister, wondering if he had heard aright. No, he definitely did not understand.  
  
"When I first woke up in hospital I had nothing, no-one. At first I was too sick to care but then as I recovered I realised how all alone in the world I was. Doctor Johnson befriended me and when I was about to have to leave without a cent or anywhere to go he found me a place in Vermont. When I got there the squad took me in as one of their own. One of them opened their home to me and I stayed there until I'd found somewhere else to live. Then they begged or borrowed furniture for me to use until I could afford to buy some on the pay check I was getting."  
  
Scott's head reeled. He'd not thought about the implications of how his sister must have been living while she had been away. As billionaire Jeff Tracy's son he could have anything he wanted, practically anytime he wanted it. Money was not a problem. The idea of being dependant upon someone else for shelter or of having to save up to buy something as essential as furniture was not something that he had ever had to give consideration to before.  
  
"Since then they've been the closest thing to family I've had."  
  
Scott turned his attention back to his sister as she continued to talk.  
  
"When you've been in tight situations with someone, had them take risks for you and even at times chance their own life for you it builds strong bonds. You must know that"  
  
She looked across at her brother and he nodded mutely. All too well he understood where she was coming from now.  
  
"Besides all that, it takes at least six months to train someone to a level where they are a full working member of the squad. There's only so much training you can do with equipment. The rest of it is experience. I've been signed off sick for three weeks. That's three weeks when the squad is one member down - and that's not taking into consideration the possibility of anyone else getting sick or hurt. If I just stay here and walk away from it then I'll be leaving all of my friends to cope until they get someone else."  
  
She stopped and looked back out to sea.  
  
"It would be betraying all the friendship they've ever given me. To not go back, not say goodbye in person, leave them one man down at the drop of a hat. I can't do that Scott, not even for Father."  
  
"What did he say?" Scott asked softly.  
  
He understood now why his father had been so upset the previous evening. Her reasons were good and right. Explained like that her decision could not be faulted but that would not make it any easier to accept for their father who had just regained the daughter he had thought dead for so long.  
  
"He didn't take it well." She grimaced at the memory and shot a half- smile at her brother. "It wasn't just you and Virgil I was trying to avoid up here. At one point I began to wonder if I was going to get out of his study in one piece."  
  
Again she looked away to the vast expanse of the Pacific Ocean, laid out beneath them. There were few clouds and only a light breeze blew across the volcanic atoll to lift the heat that had settled all around.  
  
"He was so angry." Her words were quiet and filled with regret.  
  
"Angry?"  
  
"He said I was being irresponsible and stupid. To think of leaving the island where I'm 'safe' '" her lip curled in distaste as she repeated the word "to go 'chasing off' to Vermont to join an 'ill-equipped, unprepared bunch of part-timers' and to give The Hood another chance of getting his hands on me." She shook her head in dismay "His judgement of people really goes out the window when he's riled doesn't it?"  
  
Scott restrained the smile that was trying to reach his lips. He knew his father didn't mean the words but Jeff Tracy cut no slack to anybody when he was trying to get his own way.  
  
"He has a point" Scott replied as evenly as he could. Then, as his sister's head snapped towards him in disbelief he added quickly "about The Hood I mean. He knows you're still alive now. He's given us problems time and again over the last few years. He's even gone so far as to try to kill one or other of us a few times. He's a really slippery character, no one manages to catch up with him long enough to put him out of action. He's had you abducted three times already and so far you've been fortunate enough to escape. Father's worried about what he'll try next time..we all are."  
  
Scott paused and picked up the piece of cake.  
  
"If you're not going to eat this then I may as well have it. Can't let Grandma's cooking go to waste." Peeling back the wrapping he broke the cake in two, took a bite out of one half and then, almost as an after thought, offered the remaining piece to his sister who was absorbed in thought. "Want some?"  
  
Absently she took the piece he offered and put it in her mouth. Grinning to himself Scott reached for the sandwiches and unwrapped them. When Jane had swallowed the cake he quietly reached out and placed a sandwich in her hand. Not noticing the sudden appearance of food in her hand she began to speak slowly.  
  
"I really don't think the risk is that great Scott." She gestured briefly in the air with her hand and automatically raised the sandwich to her mouth and took a bite.  
  
"Why not?" Scott was grinning openly now as he watched his sister eat. 'One of the advantages of being the oldest I guess...I got to watch them grow up and know their weak spots.'  
  
"Well I.." she stopped, suddenly realising she was trying to talk around a mouthful of food. She stared at the half eaten sandwich in her hand and then glared at her grinning oldest brother "Why you..."  
  
Scott backed off and held up his hands in mock surrender.  
  
"What? Don't blame me, I only offered the food, you ate it."  
  
She glared for a moment more then her lips quirked upwards as his infectious smile and irresistible dimples did their work. In seconds she was laughing along with her brother, her spirits lifted and her heart lighter.  
  
'Good, that's half the job done. Now we just need to sort out Dad.' Scott thought to himself. Then in alarm he returned his thoughts to his sister who had suddenly bent over with an arm around her ribs.  
  
"Jane, are you OK?"  
  
"Ow, yes, ow. Just don't make me laugh. Ow, it's still sore." She replied breathlessly, looking up with a forced smile as she struggled to regain her breath.  
  
Scott grinned in apology and gently rubbed her back in sympathy.  
  
"So what were you saying about the risk?"  
  
"What? Oh, yes. Well, thinking back, I don't think those creeps told the Hood where they found me." She sat up slowly and leant back against the boulder. "They were trying to work a double-cross and they were so scared of him that I don't even think they'd told him where they were, never mind what my new name or identity were."  
  
"So although he knows you're alive he doesn't know anything about you? Not even where you were living?"  
  
"That's right."  
  
Scott frowned and thought for a moment.  
  
"Well that sure does put a new light on things. Living on the mainland wouldn't be as safe as living here on the island but the worlds a big place. Without any information to go on he might have to look a long time before he found you. Perhaps it would be possible after all."  
  
Scott repacked the remains of the meal into the rucksack and then stretched out a hand towards his sister.  
  
"If you've finished why don't we get back? You're going to have to face Dad sooner or later. If you're certain you want to leave then why don't I come with you to talk to him to see what we can do?"  
  
Gratefully she nodded and accepted his help to rise. Together the two of them made their way back down the path towards the villa.  
  
Jeff Tracy closed his eyes and growled in frustration. He had been trying to read the same page for the last hour and could not remember a single word. He rubbed his face and rested his head on the heels of his hands.  
  
He had been unable to sleep the night before, still furious as he was from his confrontation with his daughter. He had dismissed her from his study after the most severe tongue-lashing that he had given to any of his children in years then he had gone to the far end of the beach to vent his anger at the waves, sand and sky. The last time he could remember being so angry was when Gordon had announced that he had applied for and been accepted into the WASP academy. Then his anger had driven his son from his house.  
  
'Let her go, just like him if she's so set to leave. After all, look what happened with Gordon. He came back and now I've got a fully trained aquanaut, the only one of my sons truly capable of handling underwater rescues. Good came of it after all. She'll see reason in time.'  
  
This thought gave him little comfort as it was followed instantly by another.  
  
'What if she doesn't have that much time? Remember what else nearly came of it with Gordon - don't forget that.' The dry voice was one that he had always hated - the voice of reason and balance that was always at odds with his emotions. 'Your son lying crippled in a hospital bed, close to death and no way of recalling your words. What would you have done if he had died then hmmm? Don't let the same thing happen again you old fool.'  
  
Jeff floundered in the mire, at a loss how to escape, as his emotions spoke again.  
  
'She is my daughter. I cannot let her run such risks.'  
  
His heart clenched within him at the mere thought of losing her again.  
  
'So what are you going to do Jeff?' the voice of reason in his head seemed almost to mock him. 'Hold her captive on a lonely island? Deny her her freedom and the chance to have a life of her own? What sort of man does that make you Jeff Tracy?'  
  
'A father that's what it makes me!' He brought his fist down onto his desk so hard that many of the papers sitting near the edge fell off, as if leaping from his ire. 'A father who has already lost a child once and doesn't intend to do so again.'  
  
'You're not the only one to have lost someone you love' The voice was really starting to grate on Jeff. 'Your sons lost their only sister, one of them to the point where he was nearly lost himself. And yet he's willing to let her go or to let her stay as she decides. He loves her enough to run the risk of losing her again even though it nearly broke his heart the last time and he knows it may break his heart the next.'  
  
Jeff had no answer. He had not intended to eavesdrop on his sons the previous night. Having given up all thought of sleep he had gone to the lounge after all his family had retired to bed and stayed there thinking in the dark. He had been on the edge of sleep when Virgil had come in and had not really registered his son's presence until Scott had entered and their voices had fully roused him. Still upset over the earlier confrontation he had not felt ready to face his sons and so had been caught in his own intransigence when Virgil had opened his heart to his brother. Jeff had been truly shocked to learn the depths of Virgil's grief and despair at the death of his sister - he had known that the twins had always been close in their relationship but to have been ready to lie down and die in grief...  
  
Jeff shuddered. He had been to that point after the death of his beloved Lucille. Only the need to care for his children had prevented him from taking a more active step himself. They alone had kept him alive until the sharp edge of his grief had blunted sufficiently to allow him to take thought for his home and business and to take steps to begin life anew. To know that one of his sons had suffered so and he had been blind to it.. He shook his head in disgust at his lack of perception, blind to the depth of suffering in his own family.  
  
'And that's exactly why I can't let it happen again. I can't let Virgil go through that a second time.'  
  
Once Scott and Virgil had gone Jeff had returned to his room but although he had at last fallen asleep his rest had been disturbed and broken by nightmares. He had been plagued by visions of his sons returning to the base bearing the broken body of their sister between them, in much the same way as he had seen her carried out of Thunderbird Two barely a week before. Except this time she was clad in the uniform of International Rescue and there was no life in her body, nor would there ever be again. He and his sons had stood at the side of the grave, lowering her coffin into the ground and as he turned away from the open scar he came face to face with the shade of his wife, looking at him with accusing eyes.  
  
Passing from that dream he had seemed to instantly enter into another. This was much the same except that the body of his daughter was borne by members of the Vermont Search and Rescue Squad, in whose uniform she was clad. This time he and his family stood by as the casket bearing his daughter's remains was lowered into the cold ground by the colleagues at whose side she had met her death. This time, when he turned away, his wife was standing next to his sons. All save Virgil wore the same expression of condemnation and betrayal.  
  
Waking from this second dream, shaking and soaked in sweat, Jeff rose, took a shower and dropped into a chair in his room. Sleep did not find him again that night.  
  
'I will not do it. I will not lose my daughter again. They are no place for her to be - International Rescue or that Search and Rescue Squad'  
  
He had given up all pretence of work now and sat listlessly at his desk, going over the arguments again and again in his mind.  
  
'There's more than one way to lose a child.' That voice seemed determined not to quit. 'It might not break her spirit to force her to accept a life that she does not want, but it will certainly break her relationship with you. What will be the point of regaining your daughter's body if you lose her heart?'  
  
Jeff sighed heavily. He had eaten lunch alone. His sons were busy with maintenance work, Tin-Tin and Brains were locked away in Brains' laboratory and even his mother seemed to be avoiding him. She had remained in the kitchen all day, cooking endlessly although there was already plenty of food available in the villa. Sitting at an empty dinner table, surrounded by empty chairs, eating in silence, he had a small taste of what it might be like to be alienated from all those whom he loved. His daughter had fled the villa before most of the family had even been awake and he had seen Scott setting off with a rucksack on his back in the afternoon - presumably to join her in her exile.  
  
Now sitting at his desk, finding it impossible to work, he wondered how it had come to this. Less than a month ago he had thought his daughter dead. Just on a week ago she had miraculously re-appeared in the form of Janet Vintmore, brought home by her brothers, hurt but alive. Now he was contemplating either exiling her from their home with their relationship severed or effectively keeping her against her will, unable to pursue a career she wanted or to join in the efforts of International Rescue. All of the choices filled him with despair.  
  
Finally he came to a decision.  
  
'I'm not going to do it. I've lost her once and once was enough. I'll do anything I have to and spend every cent I have before I lose her again.'  
  
Relieved that his decision was finally made he rose from his desk and crossed the lounge to the large glass windows. As he reached the balcony outside and took the first step downwards he stopped abruptly. Scott and Jane had just reached the bottom of the steps and were looking up at him.  
  
"Jane, Scott"  
  
"Father"  
  
"I need to talk to you. Both of you."  
  
.................. .... ........................  
  
Scott Tracy settled back into the pilot's seat of 'Ladybird' after completing the pre-flight checks.  
  
'Well, I might as well get going.' He thought to himself as he opened the communication channel.  
  
"Ladybird calling Tracy Island."  
  
"Tracy Island to Ladybird. Go ahead Scott."  
  
"All finished here father. I'm ready for take-off."  
  
"Alright son. Did it go smoothly?"  
  
"Yes father. Everything's in place."  
  
"F.A.B. we'll see you when you get back."  
  
"OK Dad. See you later."  
  
Closing the channel Scott obtained clearance and gunned the engines into life, sending the jet hurtling down the runway. Within seconds he was airborne and turning the jet onto its flight path home.  
  
Three minutes later the Ladybird jet was approaching an old style wood built house with a veranda around it, set in the countryside just west of Highway 7 north of Pittsford, Vermont. The area to the back of the house was open and free of vegetation and he could easily see the small figure standing in the open ground, one arm raised to its face. As the jet passed by he turned it slightly in the air and waggled the wings. In acknowledgement the figure below raised its other arm and waved back.  
  
"Be seeing you kid" Scott said softly as he straightened the craft and resumed his course.  
  
Below him the figure resumed her conversation.  
  
"Yes Dad, Scott's just flown over. He should be back with you soon."  
  
The face of her father looked back at her from her chronometer.  
  
"Well, you take care of yourself. The equipment that Scott installed is for your use as an International Rescue agent but we expect to hear from you regularly to know that you're still OK. At the first sign of trouble from The Hood or anyone else you contact us immediately is that understood?"  
  
"Yes sir, understood."  
  
"And remember you're to wear your chronometer at all times. Although you're Janet Vintmore as far as the world's concerned, you're still my daughter. International Rescue aside there's more than one criminal in the world who'd like to take advantage of that. If anything does happen that chronometer may well be our only chance of finding you."  
  
"Father, I'll be fine. I've got the rest of the squad watching out for my tail at work and the extra security devices we've fitted here will give any petty criminals a few things to think about before they even get close to this place. It's Scott and the rest of the guys you've got to worry about not me."  
  
The face of her father relaxed slightly and smiled fondly back at her.  
  
"I sure hope you're right honey. Call up anytime you want - you know we'll always be glad to hear from you."  
  
"Yeah, come visit soon"  
  
Over her father's shoulder Jane saw the faces of Virgil and Gordon appear. Both were outwardly cheerful but an underlying sadness was obvious in Virgil's eyes.  
  
"Sure Virgil. You and the others will soon get tired of flying out here to collect me don't you worry. And Gordon?"  
  
"Yeah sis?"  
  
"Remember I've got a spare bedroom - if you ever need somewhere safe to hide." She winked at her younger brother and he grinned.  
  
"See you sis."  
  
"So long. Take care."  
  
"Take care Jane"  
  
With a final farewell her father closed the channel and Jane Tracy was left alone in the silence. Turning she returned to the house and started running a bath to clear off the dirt and grime that she had acquired while helping Scott install the communications and security equipment.  
  
Reaching into the back of a shelf to get some clean clothes her fingers came into contact with a small metallic object. Withdrawing her hand she opened her fingers to examine her find. She sat down suddenly on the bed staring at the silver wrist bracelet that lay in her hand. A memory surfaced unbidden in her mind. A memory of a calm moonlit night on the upper deck of an oceanic liner. Standing next to the railing with a tall, sandy-haired man, her hand in his, as he took a small package from his pocket and laid it in her upturned palm. At his bidding and with great curiosity she unwrapped it - to find the same simple bracelet that now lay before her.  
  
"It's against the rules, and it's only a simple thing but I just wanted you to have something to remind you of the voyage...and of me."  
  
Touched, she leaned across and kissed him.  
  
"It's lovely, but you really needn't have bothered. As if I would need anything to help me remember Purser Bill."  
  
As she sat on the bed a soft smile covered her face. Turning the bracelet in her hand she rubbed her thumb across the letters engraved on the reverse side.  
  
JANE T  
  
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ ^^  
  
Disclaimer: The Thunderbirds characters are owned by someone other than me, although Jane Tracy is, I believe, my invention.  
  
I have only borrowed them and now return them in one piece.  
  
Authors Note:  
  
Well folks, my tale is told. It always irked me that there was no Tracy sister. This was my attempt to correct that 'error' and to explain why she might never have been referred to by the family. I have tried to keep the story line as realistic and 'unMarySueish' as possible and have provided a way of removing her, without death, so that she does not cramp the guys' style in the future.  
  
Thanks to everyone who has commented on the story and I hope that everyone who has read it has enjoyed doing so. 


End file.
